The Peruclian Key
by DragonLadyhere
Summary: If the Doctor were to regenerate into a female Doctor-my story would take place in an alternate universe though as I think this universe has such an outstanding line of the Doctor. Barely regenerated, the TARDIS crash lands and the Doctor stumbles on a new mystery. I am very open to constructive criticism. It has been great fun to write this. I will add chapters as I go.
1. Oh NO!

2 April 2013

If the Doctor Regenerated into a Woman-Fan Fiction

*NOTE: Obviously for me, this story would probably take place in an alternate universe as I feel there is such a fantastic and well-established line of Doctors in our universe. As the author of this particular little story, I find the possibilities of this new female Doctor and this other universe to be absolutely fantastic. That means new companions, new worlds, and _new_ enemies to dream up and a new set of eyes to see them all with. My visual (have to have one when I write) inspiration for this version of the Doctor was actress Helena Bonham Carter. I just think she would make _an excellent _Doctor. So if you are solely attached to the original Dr. Who and prefer not to imagine anything new, don't bother with this one then. It's just pure FUN for me to write though! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Chapter One: "Oh NO!"

By Johanna J.

This would be his 7th regeneration. The Doctor was 824 years old-and today, he felt each and every one of those years as if they had been fashioned into a cloak made of stone. Now, it looked like he wouldn't make it to 825 in this body. The circumstances leading up to this one was no less dire than any of the past regenerations had been, but the Nightmare had finally been sent back into the abyss it had come from. However; the cost had been high; too many good souls were forever caught in the soul-crushing darknesses that was the Nightmare now. He would find a way to free them, he swore he would! Yet, the sadness of it all still echoed around in his hearts like broken glass, and the Doctor shivered at the memories. He could still hear the screams; perhaps even his own included. And now this body was broken and shattered; regeneration was eminent. Even now, his battered body was slowly beginning to dissolve and the light of the renewal process now illuminated the center of the TARDIS where he lay. Although it had been a long time since his last regeneration, he wondered if he was ready this time.

He could sense rather than hear the TARDIS's alarms sounding off. She would right herself soon enough. Would _he _be right as rain though? Jamie and James would not understand how he could cheat death in a way that they could not, but if all the yelling and pounding on the TARDIS's door was any indication, they damn sure were going to try. The Doctor sighed quietly, they were safe and that was all that mattered to him. His blue eyes drifted shut.

Ready or not, regeneration never got easier. There was always a great deal of raw emotion carried over with each one. It would be thoroughly infused to the new body along every single nerve pathway. That said nothing of the physical pain either, but he'd much rather deal with that then the heartsbreak he felt right now. This time though, the regeneration felt different somehow; as if every bit of it was heightened. He thought perhaps he was fighting it, so he closed his eyes and imagined himself falling into the Heart of the Time-the one place of legend where all of Time briefly joined before shooting thousands of timelines back out again in a never ending cycle. What better place for a Time Lord to be? He closed his eyes again and gave in wholly to the regeneration process. The feeling of unease would not go away, but he refused to assess things fully until the regeneration was complete. Worrying never served a purpose and that would never change, plus, the process had already begun so it was a doubly moot point. Still, he noted that it took a little longer this go around. Eventually, the burning sensation soon abated as did the tingling, but he lay there until he was certain the process was complete-until not a single cell quivered.

After several moments, the Doctor slowly sat up and began to slowly take measure by feeling and counting rather than actually looking. He definitely felt 'new'. Yes, two arms and two legs. Two feet, two glorious hands with lovely opposable thumbs. He wiggled them briefly. He reached up and felt a new, but smaller nose. That was something to be grateful for, no? No more being called "the Nose" by Jamie. Yes, yes; two apparent eyes, and a pair of rather delicate ears, and his sense of hearing was a bit keener. How odd. The alarms of the TARDIS now sounded more like screams than alarms. He winced briefly. Something fell onto his forehead and into his eye. He moved to brush it away only to find it was a long lock of curly hair. Well, that was new! And still not ginger! Curly this time, but not ginger! He brushed the curly thing away only to have even more tumble down into his eyes. First order of business would be a haircut! He blinked several times and glanced down at his clothes. Things were still very hazy.

Hmmmmmn, they were quite loose. He was definitely smaller this time. He slowly stood up. The new body would take some getting used to as always, but it had been awhile. It would not do for him to fall on his brand new face. But the pants fell to the floor-belt and all with a 'thunk'. He bent over to snatch them up and promptly fell over narrowly keeping his new face from grinding into the TARDIS's hard floor. He had tumbled right out of his shoes. He quickly, and quite clumsily righted himself back up, but he felt suddenly dizzy. His vision blurred.

"Oh, oi! Too fast." He reeled and staggered over to the safety of the railing, the floor was cold against his bare feet. The oddest thought about carpeting popped into his head. His new hands didn't quite fit around the railing quite like they used to and he nearly fell again just in the trying to get a grip.

He examined his hands a bit more closely. They were . . . quite small. . . and rather delicate. His pants fell to the floor again. He snatched them up and clutched them tightly with one hand with the other firmly grasping the rail. He looked down to find small feet peeking out from under the pants legs-and no hair on the toes. There was a growing sense of alarm rising in this new belly. Panic set in; he began to feel all over this new body with those smaller hands and was quite startled to find wide hips under now baggy clothes. . . and a small waist. His pants came sliding down again.

But that would mean. . . that would mean he was . . .

"Oh no!" he groaned. He slowly bent his head downward with a distinct feeling of dread rising up into his throat. With his new 'delicate' hands, he gingerly pulled his shirt and tie away and squinted at his chest only to find . . . two perfectly perky round BREASTS! His eyes grew wide. He grabbed the shirt up tightly around his neck nearly strangling himself in the process. He peeked again through half-shut eyes, but no amount of squinting would diminish the presence of breasts on his chest. He backed away as if he could back away from the globular things now quite attached on his new body.

"No! No, and NO! I have _breasts_! NO! I cannot have breasts! I absolutely cannot have breasts! You have got to be kidding me!" However; it was quite apparent that the powers that be were not kidding.

"OH. . . NO!" All he could do was just stand there in utter and stupid shock with his pants around his ankles again and a shirt that now hung practically to his knees. Two heads? Sure, that was almost expected-maybe even three. Six eyes? He could live with that. Green skin? Perhaps, maybe even a tail, but _breasts_?! No! That was just rude, absolutely and positively _rude_!

His eyes were wide open now, and a rather morbid curiosity slowly took hold. His hands reached up to feel the squishy things set firmly on his once manly chest. Oh. . . . they rather felt quite nice! Quite nice actually; and they weren't hairy! When it came to the opposite sex, breasts were always a such a nice aspect to look at and poke now and then. These were exceptionally well-hung, well, as far as breasts go. He snatched his hands away as if they'd behaved very badly of their own accord. He gave each hand a sound slap. He smacked each eye as well.

"Naughty, you're being very naughty! Oh piffle and blimey! I'm a girl! And I have . . . _cleavage_!" The Doctor plunked herself down in a total heap. "I do believe I'd much rather have been a Silurian with two heads!"

Just then the TARDIS lurched in the most unnatural fashion knocking the Doctor on her face. ... . ..


	2. Avery

"Avery"  
Chapter Two  
By Johanna Jimenez (6 April '13)

The TARDIS pitched and rolled violently sending the Doctor careening clear across the floor and into a bulkhead. She knew that the TARDIS had been in distress ever since fleeing from the Nightmare, but perhaps she underestimated the damage her beloved TARDIS had sustained in the effort. The Doctor felt the every bit of the hard landing after she crashed into floor again with a hard jolt. She briefly wondered just how many bruises this brand new body would take. Everything finally came to a sudden bone-jarring halt. The alarms were still screeching; sparks flew and smoke drifted all around her. She ducked as a live wire swung just past her head. The TARDIS settled at an sharp angle which quickly pitched the good Doctor right on out the door and into a brick wall. Before she could right herself, she heard the door slam shut. She sighed. This was going to take awhile. The TARDIS needed to do her own sort of regeneration. All she could do was stay out of the way now.

She gingerly stood up and realized she was still wearing the old suit of her previous incarnation. Before her pants could slide down yet again, she tightened the belt as far as it would go and hoped her new hips would help to keep the pants up. Every scrap of clothing on her new body was either torn, muddied, or bloodied. She was missing her shoes too. She'd tumbled clean out of them only moments ago. She looked down at her new feet and idly wondered how was one supposed to walk properly with these anyway. She felt around in the coat pockets for her sonic screwdriver. While fishing around, her hands grazed her new breasts. Brilliant! These things were going to take some getting used to. She pushed back a pang of longing for her former strong and very male body. Best get used to this one and carry on straight away. She had no reason to think she couldn't do just as well in a female form as she'd always done in a male form, but she'd darn sure find a way to bind these squishy things up tight just as soon as she could. She found what was left of her sonic screwdriver nearly severed in half and held together by a single copper wire. It buzzed and spit gray smoke like a tiny dragon, its yellow light fizzled out in her hands. With a sigh, she shoved it back in her pocket. No telling where her wallet with her psychic paper was. It was probably burnt up all in ash now. At least the TARDIS key was still safe.

She hadn't a chance to look in a mirror yet, but it didn't take much to know her appearance was somewhat haphazard. She decided it was best not to walk around looking like she'd been on a real bender. Plus, she was exhausted and quite sore. She leaned against the backside of the TARDIS and slowly sank back down to the cold cobblestone ground. She pushed the hair out of her eyes again.

The Doctor looked around. She'd landed in some back alley way. Beyond that, she really didn't know exactly where she was, but it couldn't have been all that far. She was fairly certain she never left Earth. For once though, she wasn't inclined to go looking. For the first time in a long time, she just wanted to rest. The regeneration process wasn't complete yet and she would need a long sleep at some point. She would also need some kind of food too if the sensations in her stomach were any indication. She was quite sure she looked like a common beggar, so her options might be on the limited side. For now, she'd just close her eyes for a tiny moment.  
The Doctor's eyes flew open at the sound of someone rustling in the rubbish bins just a few paces away from her hiding place. The light was fading; falling asleep hadn't been her plan, but there was nothing for it now. In the light spilling out from an open door into the alley, she saw a young man stuffing a large bag of garbage into one of the black bins by the wall. She watched the young man with a mild curiosity at first. His skin was light brown, and she imagined he might be from India perhaps. He wasn't a large man by any stretch, not too skinny or too big, but he looked fit enough. He wore a black beanie with a mop of dark curly hair peeking from underneath. She sat up a bit straighter. His strange demeanor immediately intrigued her. He seemed rather wary for someone just dumping the day's rubbish; he kept looking all around as if there were monsters lurking around every corner. His eyes darted wildly everywhere seeming to not know where to look first. Then he jumped back against the wall and froze there as if he saw his worst nightmare pop up in front of him, but she saw nothing in the dim lighting where he stood.

She felt it instead.

It was in the air, caught in an unnatural breeze hurtling by. The Doctor shivered. She caught a vaguely familiar odor too, like burning hair. Where had she come across that strange smell before? Something was after this young man, biding its time. The Doctor just knew it, there was no mistaking it, but what? Better yet, _WHY_? Of course, this meant it was time for introductions!

"Hullo, but would you have the time?" She hoisted herself up quietly so as not to startle him even more, but he nearly jumped out of his skin anyway. He whipped around and saw her standing there. It took him a moment to register that she was not the monster he seemed to be expecting. He looked all around again before he looked down at his watch. He was visibly shaken still. He'd turned nearly white.

"It's a little after the six thirty, I'm just closing up shop." he slowly walked toward her looking furtively all around. He stopped, "Oh wow miss, you're a bit of a wreck. Did you have an accident?"

"You could say that. Still a little loopy." She tapped her head and smiled ruefully. "What year is it?"

"Year? Oh, uh, it's 2003. Blimey, we should get you to a doctor! You're hurt!" he said upon getting a closer look at her.  
"Nonsense, just a bit banged up. I'll be good as new soon enough. I promise." She gave him the 'peace' sign like a hippie and she wasn't sure why. She really had to get a look in a mirror.

"Well, uh, how can I help?"

"I could use a spot of tea and some . . . pickled eggs! Oh, those sound good! Do you have any pickled eggs? OH! Kippers might be nice too."

"I'-I'm sorry. I can get you a cup of tea, but I'm afraid we're all out of um. . . pickled eggs, definitely no kippers," the young man said with a tight smile and a slightly green pallor now. "I'll look for the aid kit."

"No worries. Just the tea is fine." She began to hobble toward the open door. He rushed up and put her arm around his shoulders. It was then that she saw a rather unusual pendant slip out from under his blue button-up shirt. It hung on a thick brass chain and seemed unduly heavy. It was a large octahedron-shaped diamond encased in an intricate framework of gold. She saw bright colors and light swirl around inside the core of it. Without knowing the how yet, she immediately knew this was a treasure. Something very dark was after it-and the young man that wore it. She had no doubt about it now. She said nothing though as he led her to the open door which turned out to be the back end of a small bookshop.

"I've just closed up the shop, but we always keep a kettle on. I've got some biscuits too, Molly brought them in. Here, you should sit." He hastily pulled out a red chair and cleared newspapers and various stacks of paper from the small wooden table near a dingy back window.

The Doctor remained quiet while he bustled around in the tiny kitchenette. She watched him closely. He still seemed nervous, but he looked quite relieved to have company. Just then, the window darkened as if something very large had come to silently loom up in front of it; the light faded a bit in the small room. Suddenly the window rattled loudly. She smiled a little when she felt the hair on the back of her head stand up. It was good to know some things worked as they should in this new body. The startling noise stopped almost as quickly as it had started. The young man nearly dropped the teapot in her lap, hot tea spilled all over the table and the tea cups clattered when he bumped the table. She grabbed hold of the cups to steady them.

"I'm so-sorry! Here, let me get that. Geez, what was that?" He plucked a yellow towel from a small green cabinet and sopped up the tea from the table. He sighed. "Sorry, it's been rather a long day for me, and I'm seein' things-and hearin' them too now." He glanced at her, but she said nothing. "Ah, but it's been longer for you perhaps, no?"

The Doctor thought back on her 'day'. Just hours ago, she, Jamie and James were fleeing for their lives in the TARDIS. Of course, there was that whole near-dying bit and this regeneration-still going, then finishing it up by falling asleep in some alley locked outside her TARDIS was a lovely touch. She frowned. She needed to get back to Jamie and James, and soon. The Jamies were really going to be . .. surprised. Jamie especially hated surprises. The Doctor smiled at the thought.  
"Yes. Yes it has been a very long day." was all she said.

"Well then, have you got a place to go then? I can give you a lift off home in a bit. I mean no offense or anything, but you look dead on your feet. You uh, you could use a change of clothes too."

"No offense taken. I've a . . . home, it's just nearby, but it's not ready yet, soon I think, but not just yet. Clothes will have to wait." She sipped her tea. "What is your name?"

He glanced down at his shoes and blushed.  
"Oh, well my given name is Avinash Vimal-Ray Young, but I call myself Ramon now. What do you think? I just uh. . . I just sort of picked that out for myself. It's the new me-nice and simple." he said with a lopsided grin as he rocked back and forth on his heels. She looked at him like he'd lost his mind. He squirmed.

"Avery. Right. I like it." she said distractedly. The Doctor felt the distinct presence of something again, only this time she felt it in the room with them. There came that odor again, perhaps her new nose was a bit wonky, yet alarm bells went off in her head and goose bumps rose up on her arms like a small army. This was not good. She couldn't put her finger on it. What the devil was it?! She wasn't up to par just yet and a clear head couldn't come soon enough. She glanced back at Avery who seemed only intent on telling her his 'new' name

"No, it's Ramon. Raaaammmoooon."

"Yes, AVERY. Quite nice." She stood up and began to nose around the small kitchenette.

"No, um, no. It's Ramon!"

"Avery. Got it."

"No, it's, wait. . . oh blimey! There's nothing wrong with your hearing then, is there?"

"No, the hearing is quite keen, Avery. You're no 'Ramon'. I knew one of those once. . . " She said as she continued to poke about. As she leaned against the counter, she crossed her arms and faced him squarely, "Avery, is there something after you? Because I do believe there is."

NOTE: Please forgive the format; I am still learning how to use this site..


	3. Story Time

The Peruclian Key

Chapter Three (second draft)

By Johanna J.

"Wh-what're you asking me that for?" asked Avery. "I mean, why do you think that?" He stumbled backwards into the doorframe. His eyes had grown wide in his skull. The Doctor idly wondered if they'd pop right on out of his head.

"I'm always watching, Avery. I always pay attention to the shadows. You lot would be wise to do the same. There are _always_ things in the shadows, always lurking just off the edge of our vision; and some of them mean harm." said the Doctor. "Not to mention the fact that you have an entire galaxy hanging on your neck. Don't know which one though, still loopy you see." she said as she tapped her head again.

"Galaxy?! That's not possible! What are you talking about? You think _this_ is a galaxy? Everyone thinks I got it out of a gumball machine!" exclaimed Avery as he clasped the pendant closer to his chest. "No, it's just a-a thing, it's been in my family for generations. My father gave it to me before he died. I never take it off, you know, 'cause he gave it to me."

"That's good, it needs to be kept near a beating heart, but I think you know that."

"Look, it's not a galaxy . . . thing! How would you know anyway? Who are you?"

"Don't worry about who I am just yet, worry about what's chasing you instead!"

"So there is something after me then? Why? I'm nobody." said Avery. He crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Everybody is somebody Avery, I've never met anybody who wasn't. And I already told you why: you have a galaxy on your neck. Somebody has been looking for it, and they've probably been looking for a long time now. The question is: _who_?" mused the Doctor

"It's not a galaxy! Wait, just what do you think is after me?"

"I'm not sure -still loopy. It's only been watching you for now and that's good, buys us some time that way. For once; ordinary time is what I need. Just where the devil am I?" demanded the Doctor as she sank back down into the chair.

She was tired. She was not quite in the middle of the regeneration cycle, and this one was a little more complicated than all the others put together. While the various bumps and bruises she got from flopping all around the inside of the TARDIS would heal in this cycle, it was obvious it was going to take awhile.

"How could you not know where you are?"

She tapped her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah! Still 'loopy', right! You're just north of London, in Potters Bar. This is Mr. Hopper's bookshop on High Street. Not many of the original shops left, but this one is." said Avery with pride. "Oh look here, you might have a head injury or something!"

"London? Well that was a short trip! You said it's just 2003? Explains the dodgy parts then." mused the Doctor. "I'll be fine, and Avery? I _am _a doctor. I just need food -lots and lots of it because I am just famished. You have no idea! Yeah, food will do nicely. Have you got any?" she asked as she cocked her head.

"Nothing more than a few biscuits. I can get some things I suppose, it's still early. There's a fish and chip shop just across the street, or the Asian place a few shops down. I can get some take away. There's also my sister's Indi-"

"I'll have a bit of everything and anything. This body doesn't know what it wants just yet." said the Doctor with a wave of her hand.

"Uh, okay then. I don't suppose you've got any money? A few tenners maybe?"

The Doctor shrugged her shoulders.

"Of course not." sighed Avery. "Right then, I'll be back."

"Avery? I'll be watching you from the store window there in the front. You must have eyes on you at all times now and mine are the very best to have, so keep around people and try to stay in sight." She pointed to her eyes. If her thinking was close to being right, then the thing after Avery wouldn't touch him as long as there were people around him. It was only a hunch though, but she learned a long time ago to pay attention to those. "Come back with food and I'll tell you a story."

Forty-five minutes later, Avery returned to the shop with two armloads of food. He didn't know what to buy for someone who didn't seem to know what they wanted, so he bought a little of everything-to include pickled eggs and kippers from yet another shop. He dumped it all out on the table in the kitchenette, but there was so much of it, he put the rest next to the sink. Perhaps he'd gone overboard, but then again, maybe not.

She dug in before he even had it all out on the table. If felt like she hadn't eaten in a week. She popped the pickled eggs in her mouth whole and then grimaced as they each went down one by one.

"You uh, you might want to slow it down. You don't seem to like pickled eggs, you did ask for those earlier, right?" asked Avery as he stood there and watched.

"No, I don't think I like pickled eggs. I will absolutely _never _eat them again. Bloody hell, don't ever give me these things again! But for now, this body gets what this body wants." she said with her mouth full. Down went another. She went for the teriyaki chicken and Asian noodles in the yellow take away boxes, down went half the kippers, a small salad, more kippers, then came a butty, and an apple. "I don't think I like apples either; beastly little crunchy things!" she said as she ate the entire thing, core and all. She hacked into a block of cheese, more fish and chips, and she started on a slice of pizza.

"Blimey, tastes like cardboard!

"That's because it _is _cardboard, you've eaten half the wrapper!"

"Oh, right. Fiber then." She popped even more into her mouth along with half the pizza. She finished by washing it all down with two Horlicks. Then she became highly interested in the chocolate bar laying off to the side looking quite lonely. She snatched it up like a child on Christmas morning.

"Do you always eat like that?!

"Only when I regenerate into a woman apparently." said the Doctor as she peeled the wrapper off the chocolate bar. "Oh, I quite like this!" she said as she popped more chocolate into her mouth.

"Okay, time for that story!" said Avery as he noshed on the few chips left. "You're talking all weird and I get the feeling it's got nothing to do with 'being loopy' like you keep saying."

"Fine, but show me to the loo please." she said as she bounced up with chocolate in hand and headed out the kitchen door. The food did wonders, perhaps the need for sleep could wait a bit longer. "Right, story time! Here's the short of it: I'm a time traveler you see, and that blue box outside is my TARDIS-my ship. She's the best in all the universe! She's repairing herself right now and has me locked out, she thinks I'll just get in the way. I probably would I suppose. She must've brought me here because you have something after you. I don't believe that thing is from this world. Kind of a rough landing if you ask me." rambled the Doctor as she rubbed her left shoulder. She didn't notice that Avery had stopped walking until she bumped into him halfway upstairs. He looked upset. It was kind of early to be pissing off the human.

"You do realize what you said was pure rubbish, right?! A 'time traveler'? Really? And a space ship that repairs itself? Blast it! Finally someone who doesn't think _I'm _crazy is actually. . . well, you're just completely nuts! Bloody hell!" He stomped up a few more stairs.

She marched up after him. "Avery, I want you to think very hard here. _Look _at what you're wearing-just _look _at it! What do you see? I know that some part of you knows this is more than some family heirloom. You _know_ it! You feel it!" she said as she jabbed him in the chest. "It's why you feel the need to keep it close and protect it. Now why do you suppose that is? It can so easily be taken from you and I don't think that should happen."

"Yeah, you're barmy alright. I'll not be parting with this, don't you worry. You'll have to strangle me to get it off anyway." muttered Avery.

"Oh, what do you mean? Like this?" With that, she yanked the pendant clean off. It came off with a "snap". The thick gold chain came dribbling after. It pooled in her hand like a golden river. She laughed. "Oh, oi! Freakishly strong at the moment! I quite like that! Won't last though, but I like it!"

"OW! What'd you do that for?" said a stunned Avery reaching up to gingerly massage his neck. "Give that back!"

The Doctor handed the pendant -complete with broken chain, back to him with a sigh. He quickly tucked it into his front pants pocket. Humans were either too trusting or not trusting at all. There seemed to be no middle way with them, but she might just kick this one.

"I do believe you'll see soon enough, ready or not. I just hope the TARDIS is ready before then. I certainly can't engage anything like this." she said as she swept her hand over her tattered attire. "The loo?"

"Yeah, it's just up here on the right." Avery slowly walked up the last half of the stairs. Even crazy people needed to use the loo he supposed.

The Doctor splashed cold water on her new face, she was shocked at her appearance. It was one thing to find one had changed into a woman after having been gloriously male for 824 years, but it was altogether another to have it staring back at you. Tattered or not, she was grateful to be in her old incarnation's manly, and now baggy suit because it hid all the new curvy parts. She didn't think she could take seeing all those just yet.

She splashed more cool water on her face as if to wash the reflection away, but it didn't work. She leaned in for a closer look. Set under narrow eyebrows, quick and sharp chocolate brown eyes stared back at her from under a line of dark feminine lashes. She groaned. Her skin was now creamy white and mostly clear except for a few freckles splashed across her nose. The cheekbones were wide, and the face narrowed down to a fairly delicate-looking chin. She frowned. She thought the dainty chin looked a little odd with such a strong jaw line. Crazy, curly brown hair tumbled down to her shoulders. What the heck was one supposed to do with a mop like that? It was like a perpetual bad hair day. She opened her mouth and inspected all the teeth. Yep, they were all there. Before she could ponder the new pearly whites any further, she heard a commotion just outside the door. Avery let out a howl which was followed by a heavy 'thunk'. The Doctor let out a Mynthurian curse. She was surprised she even remembered one.

The Doctor yanked open the door only to find Avery pinned high up against a wall in the hallway. The aroma of burnt hair was pungent and stung her eyes. There was a large figure in the shape of a man bodily hoisting Avery even higher up. She knew this was no mere man and from the pure terror plastered on Avery's face, he knew it too. The creature was dressed all in bulky black clothing from the hooded head down to heavy black boots with large silver buckles. It had one thick gloved hand firmly around Avery's neck while the other methodically searched for the pendant under his shirt. Its head turned toward the Doctor, then it hissed. Pale yellow eyes glared down at her from a black featureless face. Without warning, it vanished. Avery came tumbling down like a sack of potatoes, he was gasping for air.

"What- the hell- was _that_?! It just vanished into . . . nothing! How? Did you see it? What was that?" demanded Avery hoarsely.

"Of course I saw it." She helped him up by yanking on the gray scarf around his neck. "The galaxy? Did he get to it?! DID HE FIND IT?"

"OW again! Not a good day to be Avery's neck! I'm fine; totally fine, thanks for asking by the way." said Avery still trying to catch his breath. "No, I put it in my pocket. Couldn't very well put it back on my neck, you broke the chain, remember?"

"Right. Worked out brilliantly then!"

"You know, you don't seem terribly surprised to see what we just saw. Why not? It had the coldest eyes I've ever seen! Look at me, I'm shaking like jelly and you're practically _glowing_! That key hangin' off your neck sure is!"

"What?!" she glanced down at the old skeleton key hanging off the silver chain. "Oh! This is brilliant! Yes!" she said as she kissed the key. She grinned and grabbed his arm, "Time to run, Avery!"


	4. Sonic Schmonic

The Peruclian Key

Chapter Four/Sonic Schmonic

26 April 2013

By Johanna J.

with fantastic inspiration from Matthew J.

The Doctor's hearts beat with excitement. Her beloved TARDIS was ready and not a moment too soon. Just knowing the TARDIS was back made her feel almost whole again. She raced down the stairs with Avery in tow. The book shop's lights began to flicker and dim. Something was not right. The front door flew open and the bell jangled ceaselessly. Avery ran to pull the door closed, the ensuing silence was unsettling. He shivered. Shadows appeared in the front windows. He locked the door and darted backwards to the apparent safety of the bookshop.

"Avery, we have to get to the TARDIS or we're going to be trapped here. I am in no shape to protect you from here."

"Oh right, your 'space ship'! Yeah, I don't think so! I don't need protecting, I'm stayin' right here!" said Avery adamantly as he planted his feet and crossed his arms. "And I'm not moving."

"Avery! Just exactly how thick is that head of yours? Did your common sense slide out of your ears? You saw the creature that's been after you. _You are not safe here! _It's open season on people with galaxies hanging off their neck!" She was sorely tempted to box his ears.

Just then, books all over the shop began to lift off the shelves and drift and float. It was eerie as they quietly followed one after another up towards the ceiling. The lights dimmed and went out all at once. Avery hastily moved back to stand next to the Doctor only to realize they weren't standing; he had floated next to her. He felt light all over. She didn't say a word and he _couldn't_. They both were quite off their feet, but he couldn't see just how high they were until a book lightly bumped into his head near the ceiling. She could see partial comprehension finally dawn on his face for the first time since she'd met him just by the glistening whites of his eyes. Suddenly, everything fell crashing to the floor and the lights blinked back on. They both sat up gingerly, apparently it wasn't a good day for Avery's bum either. She jumped up and promptly grabbed his scarf and pulled him along.

She walked into the tiny kitchenette and stared out the dingy window as if she could bore a tunnel of light with her eyes and pierce the oppressive darkness, but all she could see was blackness still. Her TARDIS key still glowed. She sat down at the table and picked at the food still left all spread out. She popped a few more chocolate pieces in her mouth. She let her thoughts wander a little. She often found solutions by giving her head free reign. Avery sauntered over and sat in the other chair.

"Okay, even I know this is bad. What's happening?" he asked knowing he wasn't going to like the answer. His stomach was twisting itself up in a tight knot. "And I'm not believing that you're some 'time traveler' either, but . . . I don't have anything else."

"It would seem he has propped up a _temporal displacement field _just around Mr. Hopper's Bookshop. I know one of those when I see one. Any dodgy thing can happen inside, especially around the edges. I'm not going to go looking for those! I do believe he will stop at nothing to get what he wants and thinks he has taken us hostage. Seems a bit overboard if you ask me. We'll have to stop him of course."

"Yeah, and who exactly is 'he'? Or rather, _what_ is he?"

"If I am right-and I usually am, you have a Collector after you. That's not good, they're a dangerous lot. You might say they are mercenaries of a sort, and they are absolutely deadly; they will scatter your atoms clear across the universe without a second thought to get what they want. I don't know why he didn't do that with the both of us when he had you in the hallway. Fortunately for you, I think this one's a bit wonky, which is absolutely BRILLIANT! You gotta love the wonky things!" The Doctor leapt up from her chair and grinned. "Time to build a portable accelerator displacement generator to get us out of here and save the world, Avery. We'll start by saving Potters Bar first."

"Uh. . . build a what?! Wait, what's going to happen to the world!"

"Listen carefully Avery, if this bubble we're now stuck in touches even just one sliver on the TARDIS, well, it's just not going to be good. We're doomed. Temporal displacement fields and TARDISes just don't mix; she's a time machine, Avery. I think the entire planet could very well implode. It won't be pleasant going either." she said as she made her way back into the centre of the bookshop. "Come along Avery, we need to do some collecting of our own. I will need anything and everything electric or battery powered. Preferably BOTH. Have you got a cell phone? Hmmn, I'll need an umbrella too. That one in the corner there will do nicely. Oh, I will need eight spoons-preferably metal. I'll need a jumper too."

"I can't go tearing up Mr. Hopper's bookshop! He'll have my head and then some!" said Avery, but his voice seemed sharp in the odd silence.

"I know you're a bit confused, but have a look around Avery, we could be stuck here for an eternity and a half. I um, I threw the 'half' in for good measure." she said with a smile. In an instant, she grew serious again, "Come now, this is it Avery; it's one of those 'now or never' moments you humans are always wishing for. You either step into it all the way or you remain outside of it, but it's all happening either way. Might as well go where the fun is." she said with a wink. "And to think, all from a little bookshop in Potters Bar."

It was hard for Avery to fathom, but it had grown even darker outside. It was as if a solid blanket made of black velvet had settled heavily on everything outside of the store; it all was just a vast soupy black pit with no end in sight. There was no sign of a single street lamp or shop light, but strange shapes could be seen reflected in the shop window. They drifted in close now and again. The bookshop's lights bounced off of them in silver shafts. The silence inside the shop was just as heavy and the air seemed still. When they spoke, all the words hung heavily in the air as if they didn't know where to go.

Avery and the Doctor ran around in the bookshop collecting armloads of gadgetry and tripped on the occasional cord every few paces. They quickly gathered up everything that looked remotely useful. There was Mr. Hopper's iron, the waffle maker and spatula, the telly, an ancient adding machine, a fan, and the rickety old computer on Mr. Hopper's big mahogany desk. Avery found a blender in the back kitchen cupboard, the toaster, and a pencil sharpener near the register as well as the radio- which had gone strangely silent. Avery didn't like the silence. It seemed to bother him the most, so he put in a Hans Shubert cd, but it played strangely. For once, the music didn't seem to know where to go either. It was utterly depressing.

They dumped everything on the floor in the middle of the bookstore just behind the table that once held the recent bestsellers which were now spread in a paper wreck all over the floor.

"What are you planning on doing with all of this?" asked Avery as he watched the Doctor set about ripping wires out of this, and twisting up bits of that.

"Nothing much, I'll need some tools. Have you got any?" she asked, then she sighed. "I miss my sonic. It would come in handy right about now."

"I'm sorry? I don't know what a sonic screwdriver is. How about these?"

Avery brought Mr. Hopper's green wooden tool box from behind the counter. She immediately started rummaging. She held up a regular screwdriver and frowned, "This is certainly not sonic!" muttered the Doctor as she set about to work. She glanced up to find Avery highly agitated. He didn't know what to do with himself. "It's a bit like this, Avery, he's got a handy little gadget to shift us in time, so I am going to shift his gadget. Well, not really, that's not what I'm doing at all. If I can calibrate this just so, I should be able to punch a hole in his matrix big enough just for the two of us to squeeze though, but it will be tight." said the Doctor as she continued working. "No promises though."

"And uh, what happens if all this doesn't work?"

"Then we could very well get a permanent vacation stuck in Mr. Hopper's Book shop. Well, all those shadows outside might finish us first. Then again, these sort of fields can sort of shift in shape and slightly drift around. If it shifts toward the TARDIS, we'll be dead pretty quick. I'd like to avoid that, wouldn't you? Can you hand me the adding machine?" She paused in her work to admire the near-antique piece of machinery. "Just look at this beauty! I like old machines!"

"That's all kind of . . . not nice you know-the idea of being stuck like this and all. I don't even want to know what those things are outside." muttered Avery as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "What do you need an adding machine for?"

"I'm going to work up my numbers, of course. It's an adding machine, Avery."

"Oh, right. What can I do to help?"

"You can make us some caps out of the aluminum there next to the microwave. Wonky and dodgy things can happen in these displacement fields. Our brains need protecting, I prefer to keep mine intact. You can fetch that microwave too. That's important. I'll be needing that, it's a nice big one. Thanks to the brilliant Mr. Hopper for these old models of well, practically everything." she said as she stood back and scrutinized her progress. "I think old things often work the best. Well, off with you then!"

Avery went into the kitchen and unplugged the microwave, he grabbed the box of foil and placed it atop the bulky machine. He nearly dropped it all on his toes when he saw the Collector's yellow eyes in the window staring right at him. He quickly backed out of the kitchen.

"He's just outside!" he shouted. The lights flickered again. Some of the books lifted off the floor. Avery was ready to superglue the soles of his trainers to the floor, but nothing more happened. Still, it took him a minute to set the heavy microwave down.

"Yes, I should think he would be, we're practically right at his fingertips. I don't know what he's waiting for. We have to get to the TARDIS."

"Okay, you keep sayin' that, just what is a 'TARDIS'?" demanded Avery while glancing dubiously back toward the kitchenette. He picked up the foil and started tearing large sheets.

"Yeah, let's not shout that out just yet, Avery. I told you, it is my ship. TARDIS is for 'Time and Relative Dimension in Space' and she is the very best," she said as she continued assembling her contraption which was now beginning to resemble the London Eye in miniature. She gave it a cursory spin. "Oh the places we've been!"

"But, it's just an old police box."

"Don't be daft! It's a disguise of sorts, I've just not changed it in a number of years. This one has grown on me. I haven't had the heart to change it really, besides; the Chameleon circuit is stuck. Couldn't very well show up with a space ship anyway! So it works out brilliantly."

"Fine, if you're really a time traveler, then tell me how time works."

"Really? You want a lesson in Time right now? I'm a little busy for giving proper lessons! Bloody hell, there's a reason you can't comprehend it, 'cause you're _in_ it. Fine, but you better keep up!" she said as she yanked the door off the microwave. "Time, right! Well, Time isn't a straight line like you might think. It's actually . . . well, it's all rather a bunch of mishy-mashy.. . . sort of . . . thingies," said the Doctor as she made animated gestures with her hands and nearly crossed her eyes in the process.

She reached down to pluck up a large book. She pried it open on itself so the covers touched cover to cover, "Imagine Time like a never-ending book with an infinite number of pages; with each being made of the fabric of time and space. There are enough fixed points and characters to keep it all in check; like these page numbers and indexes and tables of contents-every book has them. Sometimes, the pages stick together like this and Time gets all sticky and slow," she said as she grabbed several pages together. "Sometimes it gets torn or worn and Time gets all distorted. Time can also get ripped away completely and then goes flying clean off with you clinging to the page. You don't know where you will end up." She ripped several pages out of the book and sent them flying into the air above their heads. "Like this!"

"That uh, that's not paid for you know. Oi! Mr. Hopper will have my head." said Avery as he put his head in his hands.

"Sorry-still a touch loopy. Where was I? Oh, quite often, Time can get quite rumpled, but no matter what, you always know your place in that book-and nice things like when it's time for tea. Until you lose your place, then you're in trouble along with everything else. Consider a time machine like the hand that turns the pages; you can go back and forward, up and down and all the way around-anywhere you want really. However, you always leave that page you've touched just a little bit changed, you must always remember that.

See, the book depends on the stories inside just as much as the stories depend on being inside the book. It's a mutual thing. It just works. Do you get it now? Because that's not the whole of it, and of course; it's not really like that at all." She said as she tossed the entire book up in the air and went back to work. It landed with a heavy 'thud' on the table. "But you'll have to make do with that bit. Sorry-about the book, wasn't a very good one."

"Uh. . . yeah, got it. Of course I do." said Avery as he scratched his head. Then he tried on his foil hat and set about making one for her. "What's it all got to do with us then?"

"First off, I'm a Time Lor-um, Traveler and _Time_ is what I do. Second, we're like a character or a tiny sentence in that massive book and we've been _moved _to a whole other page along with that galaxy you're wearing. That's not supposed to happen-ever. Doesn't matter if it's two pages ahead or five hundred back, the Universe has ways of dealing with things not in their proper place, and I'm guessing those shadows outside are one of them." said the Doctor as she clipped several wires and twisted them around magnifying glasses taped together with red duct tape. "Everything in the Book of Time is important, Avery. Everything has it's place and _we_ are very out of place."

Avery sat with his tin foil hat on, quietly trying to gather his wits. He poked one of the books as it drifted by. He continued working carefully on the second foil hat. He was an open-minded bloke, but the day's events were catching up to him in a big way. Well, it was more than that actually, he had been going nearly nuts feeling like he was being watched all the time for days now. He didn't tell anybody, what was he going to say? "Hullo, I've had the strangest feeling something's been watching and following me. . . " Yeah, his sister would be the first one to cart him off for sure. He never told this strange woman anything, she just seemed to know somehow, and none of these strange things seemed to surprise her at all. He didn't even know her name! He wasn't sure he wanted to know. Could he really be carrying around a galaxy? He sighed. He took the pendant out of his pocket and gazed at it. It was the only thing in the room that felt right somehow.

"Oi you, tuck that back in your pocket. Keep it hidden. I've almost finished this, but there are perhaps some things you should know . . . ."


	5. Strange Devices

The Peruclian Key

Chapter Five/Strange Devices

By Johanna J. with _FANTASTIC_ inspiration by Matt J.

*This is a whole new Doctor in a whole new universe, folks and it's the fifth chapter. This is probably at the farther end of fan fiction, but a Doctor in her universe with a TARDIS is still the Doctor with a TARDIS roaming the universe. Get to know her a little, you might like her. She's got a whole different perspective on things with a few new things to deal with. Lots of adventures to be had here! This chapter gets a little trippy, but then, it wouldn't be very 'Doctor Who' otherwise?

"What do you mean '_there's things I should know'_?" demanded Avery. "I don't want to know anymore! I mean, a fellow can only have his mind blown a few times in one day, my head is about to explode already! Thank you very much!"

"OI! You need to have your mind blown at least six times a day and that's just before breakfast!" said the Doctor sarcastically. She was only slightly annoyed with Avery, she was more tired than anything else. She didn't like to be tired. She _hated_ to be tired.

"Sorry." said Avery. He glanced up from his tin foil cap-making adventures to look at her, that is when he saw blood trickling down from her right nostril. "Your nose is bleeding!" He stood up and grabbed whole fistfuls of tissue from behind the register and came trotting back.

She stopped her tinkering and brushed it away with the back of her hand even as she reached for the tissues. She seemed irritated to see the fresh blood smeared across her hand. She shook her head, "This body hasn't quite knit itself together. I need to rest-and very soon. It will only get worse from here."

"What do you mean? You're sayin' the strangest things." He couldn't know that she'd not slept in days. She'd been running on empty too long, pickled eggs or no.

"Can't really go into all the details, Avery. It's a long story-but a good one; I'll grant you that! Time is of the essence just now though. All you need to know is that we _must _get to the TARDIS, so here is what you'll need to know in case I . . . I, you know; fall asleep or something."

"Here, maybe you should wear this now!" said Avery, He stood up to place the foil cap he'd made onto her curly head, but it swiftly bounced right back off. Perhaps he should have made it bigger, he didn't take in the curly brown hair factor. He'd need to add a chin strap for that mop!

She smiled and then propped her creation up on the table and began to fumble with the straps, but she was rather pale. Suddenly, she doubled over and clutched her ribcage. Her machine slowly flopped back down to the floor. She waved him away when he moved to help her. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths; then she simply picked up the machine that she'd built in under an hour and went on as if nothing were wrong. "You're going to wear this, you put it on over your jumper like so. Let's fasten these straps tight. It is going to spin _really _fast." She slowly stood up and dragged the strange device up around his shoulders. She realized that she wasn't used to looking up at other people. She'd always been quite tall apparently. She frowned, she was going to miss that. Most definitely.

Avery found himself getting strapped up by the strange woman wearing a scraggly suit. To say that he felt rather surreal was an understatement. The thing was heavier than it looked, but her hands were sure and quick. He was scared. He couldn't have said just what precise thing he was so frightened of, for all he knew, it could have been of her.

She attached a control stick she'd crafted from the umbrella handle to one of the straps on his right shoulder. There were three large buttons on the side of it; a red one from Mr. Hopper's waffle maker, a green button stolen from the fan, and a yellow button from the old computer.

"Pay attention now, because I am absolutely knackered. I don't know how much longer I can stay with you, so _pay attention! _Green means go, and red means stop; don't use the yellow button because I can't quite remember just why I put that there. You'll have to be quick. This device will only run for four minutes and thirteen seconds and it starts the second you press the green button. Once we're out, you _must_ press the red button to stop us if there's any time left, or there's no telling where we'll end up. There's not time to explain, but just remember that not stopping is _bad_. You won't have as much time as you think, so best clear a path as you go." she said. She felt lightheaded for a moment and she wobbled a little. "Yeah, you're going to have to be the one to do that, so find a big stick or something."

"You do know what you're doing, right? I mean, what if you made a mistake? You can't even remember the yellow button thingy!" exclaimed Avery.

"Don't be silly, this is second nature to me. Trust me; I'm the Do-, I mean, I do riggery and jiggery things like this all the time. I could build this in my sleep. Probably did, now that I think about it! Anyway, it's just basic quantum physics, nothing more." she said with another wink. Only, tired as she was, it looked more like she was having a mild stroke instead. Avery didn't look reassured, so she continued on with the impromptu lesson. "The thing to know is that the farther we get away from the centre of the bookstore-where it's been relatively stable; the more bizarre things might get. Your perception will get weird. Time is sort of wiggling around, it's all in flux in this one place. Anything can happen when time goes all wiggly like that; you might see some strange things that even I don't know about. Whatever you do, _don't touch any of them_! Not even if they seem cute and cuddly-_especially_ if they're cute and cuddly. Cute and cuddly are usually the first things out to kill you in the universe. So _don't touch them!_"

"I didn't see anything when I went into the kitchen to get the microwave. Well, other than him." he said with a slight shiver.

"It was in its early stages, we got lucky. I like it when that happens." she said wearily. "I want you to take your pendant and fasten the chain around your belt loop a few times, then tuck it safe back into your pocket. Can't have that go floating off somewhere."

Avery did as he was told, then he pinched himself. It occurred to him that perhaps he should have done that at the beginning of things, except he was having trouble remembering just when that moment might have been.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing, just checking if I was dreaming or something." muttered Avery. "I seem to be wide awake. Blimey, I'm just as barmy as you are, now aren't I?"

"Oi! You could be worse things! Now, you and I must not let go of one another-_no matter what, _so I am going to tie you to me, side by side. We have to stay as close to one another as possible-or we could end up in really far away places whole eras apart, so don't go reading any funny business into it."

"You're so not my type!" said Avery.

She smiled and continued to fuss with the various straps and buckles. She connected her belt to his at their waists and cinched them tight. "No, but I'm sure I used to be." she said with a lopsided grin. He missed the joke completely. She pressed what was left of his cell phone into his left hand, it had clearly been altered. He wasn't amused. He had finally scraped up enough pounds to buy a real phone and this one wasn't it-not anymore.

"Yes, I adjusted your cell a bit, too." Noting the look of irritation crossing the young man's face, she amended, "I'll put it all back the way it was later. I promise." She didn't tell him that it would never work again; just that she would put it all back together. "Believe me when I say you'll need it when you encounter the Collector again. It might buy you precious time. Just point it at his chest and hit 'send' " she said. He will be here somewhere, just waiting. I don't know why he's not come to do his collecting, but let's make good use of his tardiness, shall we?"

Avery paled considerably. Clearly he had forgotten about that part of things. The knot in Avery's stomach rose up into his throat. He swallowed hard several times, but it wouldn't go away. His stomach now felt like a thousand bees were swarming wildly inside. He wished they'd fly clean off with him.

Oi there! Steady on!" she placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright? Well, I suppose you're going to have to be, aren't you?" She took her key on its leather from around her neck and wrapped it around her wrist. It was still glowing and she kissed it again. "This is a good sign! Are you ready?" She wondered briefly if she should tell him about the tin-foil hat he had so firmly fixed to his head. Perhaps she'd let him wear it just a bit longer.

No, no he wasn't ready at all, but he couldn't answer her other than to mutely shake his head in a rough approximation of a 'no'. He was not even close to being ready; how does one get ready for a thing like this? However, suddenly for Avery; getting out of the bookshop became an absolute imperative just at that moment. All of those swarming bees in his stomach decided it was time to fly and his stomach lurched along with them. Perhaps he'd gotten all caught up in her craziness and was in the early stages of a complete breakdown. Try as he might to think this was all a dream; he knew that his gut was trying to tell him otherwise, so ready he would get. He gazed down at her and shook his head 'yes'.

He pressed the green button and flinched as he did so. He wasn't certain what to expect when one goes walking through a wiggling time. . . flux. . . thing, but nothing came swinging out at them. He and the Doctor took a small step forward and she gave him a slight shove. The air around them turned blue and sparkly as if a drunken fairy came and scattered all her fairy dust all at once right on their heads. He blinked several times.

When his vision cleared, he saw Mr. Hopper's Ficus tree in the yellow pot become a seedling again, grow through its years, and then die- all at once and then again. Avery took a breath. As they moved further along, he saw Mr. Hopper as if he were in a film with every customer he could possibly have had down through the years. Avery saw this all happening at once too, Mr. Hopper was somehow young and old at the same time. His mind was blown yet again, and he wondered if he would even have a mind left if they got out of this.

He was moving faster, but she was getting slower and slower. Her eyes were fixed on something he couldn't see. He pulled her arm up around his shoulder, being careful to avoid her device now spinning and whirring on his back. He kicked a few small boxes out of the way. Then came the fluffy, giant pink caterpillars with large deep blue bulbous eyes crawling on all the walls and some of the books, but they seemed oblivious to his presence. They fit her description of 'cute and cuddly'.

"That was weird!" he said to himself as he glanced back again. He was now dragging her along. He saw Mr. Griswald standing just off the kitchenette. His first thought was to call out a friendly "Hullo", but the older man was caught in a perpetual fall. Just as he was about to fall on his big nose, his body awkwardly snapped up and the fall started all over again. Mr. Griswald's frumpy dog, Essie, just sat there like she always did. Wiggly time did nothing to old, frumpy dogs. Neither man nor beast was aware of Avery and the woman he was now half-carrying. Fortunately, there was plenty of room to get around the odd pair.

Avery saw the door and picked up his pace, his watch said they had two minutes and forty seconds to go, but suddenly the door stretched back and seemed several meters further away. He kicked a few stacks of books out of the way. Shadowy figures sailed around them; after glimpsing more than one of them with malevolent red eyes and gnarled limbs, he decided it would be best to focus solely on the door. He felt the glimmers of panic trying to set in, but he pushed one foot in front of the other as if he could shove the panic away with each step.

They crept further and further along, but the path seemed narrow with the blue, shimmery walls closing in. He saw a massive whale swimming along right next to him. With its giant blue eye, it seemed to study him briefly before wandering off into the deeper blue. Avery turned his attention back to the door, but it seemed to grow very small as if he'd drunk some potion right out of Alice in Wonderland. Just then, the Doctor collapsed and more blood trickled from her nose. He nearly fell right along with her, but somehow he managed to hoist himself -and her, back upright. The distinct odor of burning hair came wafting into his nose, but Avery saw no sign of the Collector, just more shadows. He was not about to inspect them any closer.

They finally made it to the door, which seemed a normal size now, but when he reached for it, the air before it was like touching jelly. He stuck his hand in anyway, but it got even thicker and colder as he went. The lock was all squishy and his hand felt like it was turning to lead. He kept twisting it and twisting it because he didn't know what else to do, it just sort of quivered when he touched it. He could feel something watching them now, so he feverishly twisted the lock once more and it clicked! Relief came pouring over him, but the moment didn't last. The burning hair odor was getting quite potent now, Avery quickly turned the doorknob. He wondered just how one could smell things when time was all stupid like this. Just one twist and they'd be free, but just then, the device on his back sputtered.

He could do nothing against the rising panic except push on that door with all his might. He didn't realize that he wasn't breathing while in that jelly-like air until he got dizzy. He stepped back and inhaled deeply, but it was more like gasping for life. His arm had turned purple.

He knew in that moment they weren't going to make it. The device was failing and time was almost up. One minute and twenty-seven seconds to go. Still, he tried the door again, but the atmosphere around the door had only gotten thicker, like mud. It was static too. He heard a hissing sound and he refused to turn around, but the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Avery panicked, he tumbled down to the floor and hugged his knees up in despair. She flopped down along with him like a rag doll, but he had the presence of mind to protect her head. She was out cold. Tears came rolling out of his eyes, he'd never felt so alone in his life. He tried hard not to see the wild things drifting all around them, but then a shadow began to coalesce itself into an even bigger shadow right in front of him. It slowly merged together into a familiar figure.

It was the Collector. Avery closed his eyes. He knew this was it. What a strange way to die; it wasn't right! None of this was! Out of morbid curiosity, his tears stopped and he watched the Collector as he grew even larger. Then he remembered his cell phone. He pointed it at the Collector. A green shaft shot out of it, but Avery fumbled and dropped it. The Collector slowly crushed it with his boot. The pieces of Avery's phone drifted up in front of his face as if to mock him. The Collector scrutinized the unconscious woman at Avery's side, and he pulled her closer to him and away from the Collector's grasp. The two pale yellow eyes drifted to Avery's. The Collector leaned down and pulled Avery and the Doctor up as if they were made out of nothing more than paper. His eyes never left Avery's. They stared hard at one another. Avery saw something timeless and ancient in those eyes, and there was something else, but he couldn't name it if he tried. Abruptly, the Collector kicked the back door open. Avery could see the back light pouring into the blue air turning it a pale green color. He had gotten so close! _So close! _He winced a little as he waited for the final blow.

But none came.

Instead, the Collector pressed the yellow button on the makeshift control stick Avery was wearing, then he slammed a big fist on the button in his own chest simultaneously. He hurled Avery and the Doctor out through the open door. As Avery and the Doctor went flying back, he saw the Collector slowly fall back into the displacement field, then everything in the doorway went black. As a matter of fact, the whole shop went invisible.

Avery remembered to press the red button in midair, he nearly dislocated his thumb in the process. His back slammed hard into the blue box that she called the 'TARDIS', but her time displacement device took the brunt of it which was fortunate for them both. He could feel it crumple and splinter into his back, but he paid no mind to it. All he could think of in that moment was to get them inside. He didn't care if it was an empty shack at this point. He remembered the key around her wrist and he twisted and dragged her arm up to the keyhole. It was still glowing. He jammed the key in and the lock opened just as any proper lock should, no squishiness involved. The door burst open and Avery quickly dragged the Doctor in, but he knocked her head on the doorframe. The door shut by itself. Then Avery turned around. He dropped the time traveler right on her bum.

It was bigger on the inside.


	6. Suzy Q

The Peruclian Key

Chapter Six/Suzy Q

By Johanna J.

Note to the reader: This chapter has come up a little quicker than the rest simply because I had a pretty good idea about what happens. Come on and join a whole new Doctor on her adventure! You might like it! Lots of fun and different things to discover right along with the Doctor. This particular chapter is mostly about Avery, don't be bummed though. . .

Yeah, it was bigger on the inside, most definitely. That was _so_ not normal, but given where he'd just come from, who was he to say what 'normal' was now? A bright shaft of white light appeared out of a support column to their right and drifted over towards Avery. It slowly and methodically moved back and forth over the woman lying on the floor, then it turned to Avery. They were being scanned. His first instinct was to run for his life as far away from all this as he could get-like Timbuktu maybe. He ran to the door, but it was shut tight-and locked. The scan quietly continued just as methodically over him, it made him want to crawl out through the keyhole. He pulled and yanked desperately on the handle, and he couldn't help yelling at the same time for some bizarre reason. Who the devil would be listening?

Avery sat down. He refused to give into any kind of panic this time, but at the same time, he wasn't sure what to do either. Then he realized he ought to at least lay this mysterious woman somewhere more comfortable; but as he stood up, there came the clear sound of engines starting up. It wasn't a quiet affair either. He felt the vibrations under his feet, and he started to think twice about the whole panic thing. He grabbed a railing to steady himself, the thing seemed to pop up out of nowhere much to his relief. The console in the middle of the room began to pump, bubble, and pulse on its own. It emitted a warm yellow light which softened the interior of the high tech room. He ran towards it like a bug headed straight into a fire. As soon as he stood in front of the round console, it dawned on him that he didn't know one iota about flying anything beyond a paper airplane; even that might be saying too much.

He could see various buttons, switches, levers, screens, pulleys, and still even more buttons all quietly glimmering and glowing from a gold-colored control panel. There were two rows of brass foot pedals underneath too, as if all the buttons up top weren't enough to manage. He was afraid to touch a single one of anything lest it melt his face off, or turned him into something he shouldn't be; or worse yet, send him somewhere where he would possibly get eaten by something most unnatural. He shivered. She did say it was a 'time machine' after all. Momentary panic won out for a split second when an unsettling thought popped into his head: did that mean he might phase out of this place and into another, or something quirky like that? Wasn't that how it happened in the movies? He shook his head and had to smile a little, look who was trying to figure out time travel! He tried to laugh, but it got all mangled and hung up on the knot of fear in his throat. He sounded like a sick frog instead, even that was funny, so he laughed again just to hear it.

She groaned a little in her sleep. Avery looked around as best he could for a softer place to lay her while clinging on to every railing he could get his hands on. It was not an easy thing to do it turned out, but he found an upholstered bench in a corner nook. The well-worn red velvet thing looked completely out of place in the console room. He was sure it must have been pilfered a hundred years ago, it was more ratty than velvet.

As he leaned down to pick her up though, he could see her lips had a bluish hue to them. Her breathing was more ragged now. He grew alarmed, this was beyond mere 'sleep' and he realized she had been injured somehow. He raced around the console area and surrounding bulk heads searching for some kind of aid kit, but he found nothing of use to him. Not that he would have recognized anything if he had found something, he didn't even know what to look for. What little he did find, he couldn't read it. All the writing was strange to him and consisted of elegant circular patterns. He was beginning to regret not paying attention to those lessons in First Aid. Once again, he started to panic, but this time he gave himself a firm mental shaking. "NO! Blimey! No more panicking allowed today!" he berated himself.

Just then, an image of a large man appeared near the console. He reminded Avery of that Sean Bean fellow. What an odd thought to pop into his head. Perhaps this was how hysterics start; with a sick frog giggle and pay-no-mind-to-the-moment-at-hand kind of thinking. The image then calmly spoke, "You are seeing this image because I am incapacitated and/or non-responsive. The TARDIS has engaged the Emergency Protocol. Be advised Emergency Transport protocol number 12 has been initiated. Transit to Avalon-Hayden Healing Complex now in progress. Vitals are as follows: one punctured lung-left side/second lobe, three fractured ribs-left side, compound. Left heart bruised, all pressures elevated, binary pulses out of sync by 3.7% Possible splenic rupture, concussive head injury, left side." Then it repeated the same information again and again, or so Avery thought. The image reported Avery's injuries as well, but he wasn't paying attention to it as he turned his attention towards helping the apparent owner of this blue box ship, because all of that just sounded _bad. _

Avery knew he shouldn't move her, he wasn't a total ignoramus when it came to first aid. He used his jumper to cover her, but it was full of holes from her strange little machine getting crushed between his back and her ship, so he took the soft white throw lying on the worn bench and covered her up. He took his sweater off and placed it under her head as a pillow of sorts. He briefly wondered what his back must look like, as he was beginning to feel the first nuances of pain and bruising. His left arm was beginning to turn a sickly gray now and was becoming quite stiff. It felt heavy too.

Without warning, he felt the machine land. All the pulsing and bubbling stopped. The only sound to be heard now was the battered time traveler's raspy breathing. He wasn't sure what to do next, he returned to the console as if he could suddenly understand something there that he couldn't comprehend just moments ago. _Any _clue would have been better for them both at this point.

Well, maybe not _any_ thing. . .

Without warning, something gargantuan knocked into the machine, followed by felt more knocking and banging, and then an abrupt skidding sideways. His knuckles turned white because he was gripping the rail so tightly despite the pain in his arm. All of this was followed by a growl. . . from out of a very large mouth, possibly complete with teeth to match. If there had been an intelligent thought in his head before, it was long gone. Avery looked toward where he imagined the heavens would be and fervently asked whatever deity there might be involved in all this funny business to kindly remove him from this crazy dream, or at the very least; remove whatever the thing it was outside those blue doors that seemed hell-bent on getting inside to eat them for a snack. The next 'bang' sent him flat on his bum.

Perhaps now would be the time to panic! Avery let out a horror movie-worthy scream.

Thankfully, everything grew momentarily quiet. Avery drew in a deep breath. Instead of more of the violent banging, there came a polite knocking on the door. Nonetheless, he nearly hopped out of his skin. He'd been doing that a lot today. Was it even still 'today' anymore he wondered?

"Doctor! Doctor! Are you in there? Are you injured? It's me, Gideon. Doctor! Please answer! Doctor?" The voice was masculine and sounded quite human. Still, it was followed by several more growls and then a roar. "Oh, get off with you then! Suzy Q, go and tend to her please!" This was met by a low roar and a good deal of stomping, snuffling, and shuffling. "You're not supposed to be away from your nest anyway! Go on now! Get back to it! Doctor! _Doctor!"_

Avery stood just inside the door, he could hear something massive lumbering away. He stood dithering hard whether to open that blue door or not, but then, the disembodied voice on the other side of it sounded like he knew the woman lying on the floor well. She needed help, so Avery cracked open the door. A man's face immediately appeared and filled up the space in the partially open door. Avery could see stunning blue eyes peering intently in, _human _eyes. He opened the door a little further.

"Oh, there you are! I was worried. Is that you? What is that on your head?! Wait, you've regenerated then?"

Avery slammed the door shut in the man's face when he saw a large green and brown creature lumbering up behind the man. It looked an awful lot like a dinosaur, with plenty of teeth. Bloody hell! What sort of place was this? Then he realized he was still wearing his foil cap. He snatched it off.

"Wait, Doctor! Let me see you! I can help!" shouted the man. "Don't worry, it's just Suzy Q, you've landed in the Reptilian Atrium. We set it up so the TARDIS would hone in on ME if you ever needed help. Remember? She brought you right to me. It's alright." he said as he banged on the door some more, but then in a low voice, he said, "Doctor, this isn't like you, open the door. . . _please!_"

Avery could still hear various roars, and strange guttural calls along with a cacophony of birdsong echoing all around him. He cracked open the door again. The sheer concern in the man's voice went a long way in dispelling his fear of getting eaten by dinosaurs in a hospital, plus the fact that the man calling himself "Gideon" still had all his limbs. This helped considerably. Still he was glad to remain just inside the dubious safety of a blue box. . . which was bigger on the inside. He sighed as he opened the door all the way.

"There you are!" The man was clearly relieved. "Come on out then, let's have a look. The TARDIS thinks you're injured. Where's your funny hat?"

"Uh, no, n-not me. I think you mean her." He opened the TARDIS door the rest of the way and pointed to the woman lying on the floor, all the while checking for any wayward dinosaurs. "I didn't think I should move her. There are dinosaurs." he said dumbly.

The man's eyes grew wide, he pushed his way past Avery and quickly leaned down to examine the woman. He brought a scanning instrument out of his white coat pocket, it looked like a big gold pen with a blue light at one end. It made a soft whirring noise punctuated by several 'beeps' as he moved it over her body. He held it up as if to read it. He glanced up to the computerized image of the man still spouting the medical report. A wistful look came across the doctor's face as he gazed at the image of the man, and then intently down to the injured woman. It was clear to Avery that he knew them both well.

"Get me a biobed to the Reptilian ward and get it here _now_! I repeat: I need a biobed to the Reptilian ward. I have the Doctor! I say again: I have the Doctor!" he shouted into a silver device on his wrist. "Who the devil are you? Is this the Doctor? How long has he-, I mean, _she_ been like this?"

"I don't know, she wouldn't tell me her name. I only just met her today." said a confused Avery. "She was okay a few hours ago, but then she sort of collapsed. I don't know how long, time's been kind of funny for me today. She got a bloody nose and said the 'it would only get worse', but I didn't know what she meant. Who is she?"

"You were right not to move hi-_her_. Thank you for that." said the man as he ignored Avery's last question. He was gently holding her hand now. He tenderly brushed the hair away from her closed eyes. "Oh my dear old friend, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Within a minute or so, four of what Avery could only guess were alien orderlies, came running up with a bed that had no wheels. It squeaked anyway-and hummed. The alien orderlies were blue, they had dark spots in varying patterns on their exposed arms and faces with tiny little horn nubs all in neat rows on their heads. The 'bed' just floated between the orderlies, a fluorescent greenish light shone bright from underneath it. There was an array of flashing buttons of all colors on the sides of it. There was also small bevy of assorted peoples to include a good variety of aliens behind them. They seemed ready to aid the man with the blue eyes, but many seemed to simply be watching. None of them seemed overly concerned about dinosaurs like Avery thought they should be. Rather than gawking though, Avery stepped back. The crew of four alien beings. . . orderlies, trotted up in unison to gather her carefully up from the TARDIS floor. They settled her neatly on the floating bed. Then the entire mob rushed off, leaving Avery alone with a bunch of dinosaurs roaming around a massive atrium-type room. When a green one with bright orange markings came ambling up to him with an apparent grin on its face, he danced back inside and slammed the door again.

The awful growling continued, but as the creature growled ever onward, Avery began to make out words in the guttural rumblings-and not by choice either, they just sort of tumbled into his head in no particular order at first. The dinosaur outside was _talking _to him, and he _understood_ it!

"Oi, this is just not possible. _Not_ possible. So not possible."

"You're going to have to come out sometime you know. Doctor Gideon thinks you're hurt too-the TARDIS said so. He's sending another team to fetch you. My name is Suzy Q and I've been charged with your care. I can't change my present form unless we exit the Reptilian ward, or they might all get . . . somewhat unruly. Believe me, you wouldn't want that with this lot! We found them all on an abandoned space ship. Who knows how long the poor things have been fending for themselves?" mused the green and orange dinosaur.

Avery banged his head on the door several times. He was fast losing count of how many times his mind had been completely and utterly blown in the past several hours. It felt like days, maybe it had been days. Who knew anymore? His head was killing him and he was beginning to just not care. Perhaps this was what happened when one goes into shock: one starts to see talking dinosaurs. Perhaps the tipping point was actually understanding one.

"Oi you! Get back! The little human is not for you. You've already had your dinner!" Avery could hear more shuffling sounds, but at least they seemed to be heading away.

"You're a dinosaur." muttered Avery tiredly.

"No I'm not. Well, okay, I am, but only at the present moment. Really I am a .53, series Q2000. I'm one of the few that can get this big if I want. I promise, I won't eat you though."

"Yeah, I don't know what that means, you're still a dinosaur to me-with _teeth_. How come I can understand you then?"

"The TARDIS is translating for you. She gets in your head; or so I'm told. Saves me the headache of doing it, but I dare say that I have been known to do English up rather nicely."

Avery sighed and banged his head hard a few more times against the TARDIS door as if he could bang away the pain in his skull. The static image of the large man reappeared near the console again. Yeah, he looked a lot like that Sean Bean bloke. Avery liked Sean Bean and all, but he much rather the fellow stayed in a telly where he belonged. Perhaps his mind was finally slipping because he swore the man in the TARDIS was talking about him, but all the words coming from the image just skipped around in his head like a bunch happy elves the day after Christmas. Avery could understand a dinosaur now, but not English apparently. He didn't even want to know how that worked.

". . . .unknown male subject. Vitals report/update: ALERT! Decay Element detected in subject's left arm with associated infection. Level 10 biologic processing advised. Body temp: 103.2 Fahrenheit, 39 Celsius. Imminent limb loss. Immediate medical intervention required. Secondary report: Minor head trauma with laceration above left temple, contusions and abrasions localized to subject's vertebral, sacral, and upper gluteal regions. One laceration requires surgical closure.

The dinosaur named "Suzy Q'' tapped most politely on the TARDIS door, "Come on out. I promise I will keep all the big bad lizzies away from the little human."

But Avery didn't hear her. He was the one now sprawled out on the TARDIS floor.


	7. A New Arm

The Peruclian Key

Chapter Seven/

By Johanna J. with BRILLIANT inspiration from Matt J.

Note to the reader: And she's back! The mystery is just getting started-and poor Avery! Come along with a whole new Doctor from another universe with brand new adventures and new worlds to discover. You won't find your usual version of Doctor Who in this story as my story is at the farther end of fan fiction; but if you're inclined for Doctor Who with a different twist, you might find that you like her.

". .. . grx lftl pbflue noix ceeses smee gebtxas. Shh shhhhh, barrch xleethin, shhhh! Ee's walrkin pfup. Loo all this wittle teas! Oer aren't thim juuce precis?"

Avery's eyes fluttered open see to a deep blue ceiling with little lights hung like stars. He heard hushed voices, but he couldn't immediately make out the words because they were all crashing into each other and not adding up properly before tumbling into his ears. Exhaustion and long sleep hung about him like a sweater and he was loathe to take any of it off; he didn't feel inclined to move in the slightest.

He slowly looked to his left and saw a gorgeous green vista through a large curtain-less window, there seemed to be rolling green hills in the distance under a brilliant violet-colored sky, and it was utterly alien to him. The trees were all in some kind of autumnal splendor with hues of oranges, purples, yellows and pinks. A large yellow planet loomed just over the treetops, but it wasn't a sun. It looked like a gas giant of some kind with blue and purple splotches all over it. He tore his eyes away from the stunning alien landscape when he heard someone quietly clear their throat. Avery looked to his right and saw a small blurry mob of people. He blinked several times. His hazy sight cleared up only a little along with his ears.

"There you are! I was wondering when the little human was going to wake up!" said a petite young woman with brilliant green eyes as she bounced up next to his bed. He thought he recognized those eyes from somewhere, but he couldn't sail along with a single thought in his head at the moment.

The small mob of blurry peoples shuffled and silently parted to let someone through. A woman dressed in white robes with gold trim came to stand at his bedside. He gazed up at her and her brown eyes stared intently down at him. She pulled the hood away from her face and down to her shoulders.

"Hello Avery. . . I'm the Doctor. Do you remember me?" she asked with a lop-sided smile as she tilted her head slightly.

It was the scraggly woman from the blue box! Memories started to pour back into his head at a dizzying speed. He tried to nod, but his neck felt as if it were made of granite. He swallowed only to find his throat was bone dry.

"No, don't worry about that moving nonsense just yet; just wanted to make sure someone was home in there." she said with a wink as she lightly tapped his forehead. "Suzy Q, can you please get him some fresh water sponges?" she said as she bent down to examine his left arm. "Your new arm is looking just brilliant. We'll talk more later, rest now." She sailed out of the room like a fast moving cloud. He wondered how she had recovered so fast as his eyes followed her out. The group of peoples followed the Doctor out of the room save for the petite young woman.

"Here now, take some water-no glubbing it though! Then you will have to rest some more. I'm here to take care of you." Those brilliant green eyes again; set against golden skin and golden hair. It looked as if she'd been dipped in a vat of liquid gold. Avery's eyes drifted shut before he could finish his pondering.

When he awoke some time later, it had grown dark and he was a little disoriented. The little crystal lights all up in the ceiling did indeed look like stars. He felt more awake and refreshed this time, but he had no idea that he'd slept another day and a half. He became aware of a familiar chain around his neck and saw the galaxy pendant lying against his chest. He reached up to inspect it closely, it shone as bright as ever. He let out a small sigh of relief. He stretched and yawned. He didn't notice the woman in the corner until he tried to sit up in bed.

"What are you doing! You're not ready for that business." the petite woman said as she came flying out of her hiding place. She'd been doing some sort of needle work and it fluttered to the floor. She gently pushed him back down and fluffed the pillows underneath his head. His stomach growled and she laughed. "Well that's a good sign! Is the little human hungry?"

"You-you're the dinosaur!" He instinctively drew the blankets up around his chin as if she'd turn back into one on the spot. "How long have I been here?" he asked hoarsely. Suzy Q offered him more water sponges.

"Yep, that's me! Miss Suzy Q at your service! You remember! The dinosaur bit is only when I work in the Reptile ward. I can change as I need to suit the patients in my care, this is the one I picked for you. Do you like it?" she asked as she twirled around. Before he could answer, she said "My but you gave me a scare! You've been here for four days now, well; 53 hours and twenty-two minutes, thirty-eight seconds to be more precise."

"I only remember bits and pieces." said Avery with a sigh as he shook his head slightly, but he felt a touch dizzy when he did so. "They said I was going to lose my arm, but look at it, it looks fine now."

"That's because you're wearing your new arm already, silly! There was no saving that other one. Don't you remember? You were exposed to Decay Element!" she whispered with a human-like shiver.

Avery was too busy inspecting his new arm to answer. It certainly looked like his arm, there was even the scar from when he'd accidentally stabbed himself with his mother's sewing scissors. He was eight years old when he'd done that; he thought for sure he'd killed himself that day. He stretched and twisted it and turned his arm all about, but it felt just like any arm should, he supposed. The sickly grey color was gone. He wiggled all the fingers. There were no twinges or pings of pain, and he couldn't feel any sort of suture line either. He shook his head, he couldn't wrap his head around the notion that he had a new arm other than to compare himself to Luke Skywalker. He pinched his new arm, he could feel that alright!

"What are you doing that for?"

"I don't know, just checking I suppose." His stomach growled again.

"Well, I think the little human could do with some food in his belly," she said as she pushed a button in the white device she wore on her wrist. "The Doctor says you can eat when you feel up to it-judging by all the funny noises coming out of your stomach, I'd say you are! You're so lucky you've got hi-, I mean, _her_ looking after you like that!"

Before he could ask why everyone kept referring to the Doctor as a _'him' _at first, a green turtle-like alien came trundling in pushing a large cart full of food. He learned the alien was of a race known as Telnaxians and according to Suzy Q; they all looked like old men- even as babies.

The cart was stuffed with a splendid assortment of food; some of which Avery recognized, and plenty that he didn't. He couldn't help but to lean over and have a good look until Suzy Q pushed him back against the pillows. It all smelled divine nonetheless and his stomach rumbled in approval. Avery realized he could probably inhale every bit of it right then. He was slightly disappointed when he realized Suzy Q had no intention of letting him do precisely that. Apparently nurses were the same everywhere; even robot ones.

"Might I ask, where did you get that jewel, young Sir?" asked the seemingly ancient alien as he pointed to the pendant resting against Avery's chest.

"This? Why has it become so interesting all of a sudden? It has been in my family as long as I can remember. My father gave it to me." said Avery as he gazed at it again. He clasped it tightly. The old Telnaxian stood silent for a long moment, then to Avery's astonishment, he bowed.

"Be well young Sir." With that, he smiled and slowly trudged out of Avery's room.

"That was a little weird, I've never seen so much reaction out of a Telnaxian like that. He must really like you!"

And so began Avery's recovery. Over the course of ten or so days, he grew strong enough to roam the hospital grounds. Avery was shocked to learn the entire planet was the Avalon-Smith Healing Center. Every inch of it was devoted to healing, and he was in the main complex.

He and Suzy Q became like two peas in a pod. He even let her drag him back to the Reptilian ward where he watched her care for those giant beasts. . . with teeth, but he wouldn't stray more than two meters from the door.

He saw aliens of every imaginable shape and size; there were the catlike Venaxes, the purple and very proper Rellniks, the ruddy orange Tarrohuns, the brown deer-like Jackaloos, the green turtle-like Telnaxians, the red-eyed Caeldacks, and whole hosts of others that he couldn't remember the names of. The temperaments were just as varied it seemed. Avery learned this the hard way when he inadvertently insulted _the _Iburian Emperor by waving a friendly 'hullo' at him. The Emperor took great offense because apparently, waving meant something completely different to an Iburian. The alien royal turned a rather alarming shade of red and began to puff up along with a lot of hissing, then he nearly popped with rage. It took eight people to calm him. Avery was forbidden to explore the entire western wing of the main complex after that.

Avery was almost getting used to having his mind blown at least six times before breakfast just as the Doctor recommended. Through it all, he thought of home. In a matter of days, his entire world had been turned upside down. Just a few more days couldn't hurt though, he wanted that much at least before going back to an ordinary life, but how ordinary would it be after all of this? He imagined it would be the equivalent of stuffing an elephant into a thimble. He wasn't ready to think about it all just yet; and he smiled that this was even the case considering how he'd felt just days ago. He couldn't count them because the days were all muddled up in his head.

He finally remembered the blue-eyed man as Doctor Gideon, but he only learned a little about the woman everyone simply called the "Doctor". They all spoke of her in hushed voices with great reverence, and a little fear depending on who he talked to. Nearly all of them referred to her as a _him _though and almost always without realizing it. He found that most odd, but no one was willing to take the time to explain. Over time, many refused to talk about her at all. The Doctor would check on him each day, but then would always go quickly sailing off as if she had a thousand other places to be all at once. He still wondered how she'd healed so quickly.

He never remembered just how close he came to not being Avery anymore.

The Doctor stood in the third floor orchid atrium watching Avery and Suzy Q as they took lunch down in the center garden. Suzy Q was now in the form of a young man and had been for several days. They were giggling hysterically as they poked the Dunder beetles which exploded into mad little yellow puff balls when startled. They floated off with their little legs waving wildly about as they squealed in protest like little pigs.

She shook her head. One day those ridiculous insects were going to revolt against all the pokes. She sighed.

"It's not your fault you know." said Gideon as he leaned against the doorway. "He's going to be alright, just look at him."

"That's not the point and you well know it! I almost got him killed. Do not patronize me, Gideon." she said as she whirled around to face Gideon with her arms crossed.

"Now you know me better than that. I'd say that Collector had a bit to do with it." he chided. "You know I always tell it like it is. Frankly, I think that's the only reason you're still talking to me." he said with a smile. His blue eyes twinkled and the irritation slowly melted away from her eyes. "You're supposed to be resting."

"I know it," she muttered. "but I've got to go back anyway; someone is playing a very dangerous game, Gideon; they tried to intercept a Collector and they used Decay Element to do it! It will slowly rot his entire planet and _they hurt my TARDIS_. I want to know why-after I fix everything, of course."

"Avery said the Collector ultimately saved you both, now why do you suppose he would do that?"

"I don't think he was saving anybody, he was saving that galaxy hanging off Avery's neck. They're hardly the 'saving' kind. He knew there was Decay Element in that field and that it might have been lost. It's all he cared about, trust me." She started to pace. Gideon couldn't help smiling. Regeneration only changed some things, she was definitely the Doctor. She was still his friend. "What are you smiling about anyway?"

"Nothing, not a thing." he said as he put his hands up in mock defense.

She went back to her pacing. "May I?" pointing to the holographic sphere generator.

Gideon stepped back. She brought up a three dimensional screen in the middle of the room and began a search of all known 'captured galaxies' as these were frequently called. Random captured galaxies of all shapes and sizes flashed on the screen, but she grew impatient with the search after several minutes. She paced all around the screen lost in thought. "I know I've seen this one somewhere. Think man, _think_!" She was pacing so fast that her robes swooshed and blew several flyers down to the floor from some group calling itself the 'Convergence', but she ignored the paper mess and kept up with her mad pacing. Two cleaning bots came whirring out of their respective corners and quietly swept them up.

"I don't know, maybe the key to all thi-"

"OI! That's it! The key! Oh, that's brilliant, Gideon!" interrupted the Doctor as she spun around. "Why did I not see it sooner?" she smacked her forehead. "Oi, I've been an absolute dunderhead! It's part of a key!" She was practically hopping with excitement. "I seem to recall the old Faahlullethaelhunian legends say that captured galaxies were frequently used as components of keys. If you gather all the components and manage to put it together-and _properly_, then you free the galaxy inside." She paused for a moment, "Funny, I always thought they were mostly just legend really."

"Who would want to trap an entire galaxy? Can you even do that?" asked Gideon as he scratched his head.

"Of course you can! Don't be thick." she said as she poked his forehead and continued with her pacing and out loud musings. "It's the same technology as the TARDIS, albeit; on a much grander scale." She renewed her research efforts, but not so much her patience and began to pace again. "Ahhh, I remember a bit now! You see; some species are so rare, and so _utterly_ precious that capturing their galaxy was the only way to protect them. On the other hand, some hold things that are absolutely so dangerous, they must be forever contained."

Just then Avery and Suzy Q walked in. His face was flushed because they had been running in the corridors again, yet Suzy Q remained fresh as ever.

"So the question is; what is in _your_ little galaxy, Avery?" she said as she strode up to meet him.

"Uh, I-I don't know?" said a puzzled Avery.

"May I?"

Avery slipped the chain off from his neck and handed it to her quickly before she was inclined to yank it off again. He began to absentmindedly rub his neck.

The Doctor held the jewel-encased galaxy up for close inspection. "There are tiny symbols here in the gold," she said. She plucked reading glasses from Gideon's front pocket and slipped them on, "but I don't recognize all of them. Well. .. wait, there's this one. It's Gallifreyan. Well _that's_ unexpected!" she said with a frown. She went back to pacing for several minutes before she came to a grinding halt. She turned to Avery and said, "We've got to go back, Avery. It's time."

An hour later, Avery found himself standing next to the Doctor outside the TARDIS in the shade garden on the eastern side. She was still wearing the white robes of a healer from the hospital, but a bag holding two large capsule-like devices lay at her feet. Suzy Q stood off to the side with Gideon looking quite forlorn. Avery hadn't realized how hard it would be to say goodbye to his new friend. His eyes watered.

He was a little apprehensive about getting back into the TARDIS too, he found that he was nervous about going back to where his adventure started: home. He wasn't sure what to expect either, but it seemed so very far away and small now. What if they got hurt again? It was easy to get all caught up in things on an alien world with various alien entities and such, and losing an arm quickly sent one's mind to other things. He didn't realize how caught up he'd been till this very moment when he had to leave it.

He glanced over at the Doctor and realized he still didn't know that much about her, and that scared him a little. He thought back to what Gideon told him as he gave him one last check-up, "Don't ever for one second believe she doesn't know what she's doing, Avery. The Doctor is _always_ two steps ahead of everyone else. No matter what she says or does, she _always_ knows what she'd doing. Never, ever doubt her. You will stay safer that way-and so will she." His attention quickly returned to the present moment when Suzy Q let out a small sob just then; it was more of a wail really.

"Oh come on then!" said the Doctor as she rolled her eyes at the distraught android. Gideon smiled and winked his approval. "Just this once though, I'm not a touring service you know. And there will be no wandering around Earth for you, do you hear me? There's no telling what humans would do if they got their hands on you-and do put on a little more color."

Suzy Q came eagerly bounding up to stand next to Avery. "I'll be so good, I promise! What color should I be?" But the Doctor wasn't paying attention right then.

"Oh my dear, we certainly have been through it, haven't we though?" She leaned her head against the TARDIS doors. "Come now, let's see what you've got in store for me!" said the Doctor as she slowly inserted her key into the TARDIS door.


	8. Chapter 8Cheeky ThingsThe Peruclian Ke

The Peruclian Key

Chapter Eight/Cheeky Things

By Johanna J. with _crazy-fun _inspiration from Matt J.

May 23, 2013

Note to the Reader: I've written stories before of course; but I've never published them like this. I'm also a relatively new Whovian and _boy_, did I ever fall hard! Come along in another universe with a whole new Doctor, new companions. and new aliens; some are friendly, and some are not. You might like her if you get to know her a little! This is at the farther end of fan fiction, but I've had such FUN writing this. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Eight/Cheeky Things

"Oh you cheeky thing you! Just look at what you've done with yourself!" said the Doctor with a sigh as she slowly wandered around the control room of the TARDIS. She ran her fingers lightly on the new control panel. This new version had more color in it than the previous gray and blue hues of the old; gone too, was the industrial feel of the old room. This version boasted more color and warmth with woodsy browns in the control panels with brassy levers and ornate knobs and control wheels. An array of buttons in nearly every color was spread across six various triangular panels. Some of the switches and levers were just a touch more ornate with little details like something out of the earth of the 1920's. There were two emerald green wool rugs on either side of the center control unit. Her black wrought iron coat rack remained fixed by the door laden with the jackets and cardigans of her old incarnations- to include one insanely long muffler. They would all be much too big for her now; but she'd still hang on to her favorites anyway, she always did.

"She changes up now and again. I've not seen the new version of her till now. She's had her doors locked, even to me. The poor girl has had to recover from exposure to Decay Element, among other things." she said when she glanced up to see Avery's puzzled expression. He didn't know about regeneration and living time machines yet.

She continued her brief exploration. While she wasn't sure she was ready for the more distinctly feminine touches; she found that she liked the hints of Steampunk. She was absolutely delighted to find her old red bench remained untouched and just as battered, weathered-and comfortable as ever. She bounced up and down in a test sit before leaning back briefly. "Oh my dear, you're not going to like this one bit; but we're going to have to go back." she said with a sigh. Further exploration would have to wait.

Avery remained just inside the TARDIS door. Suzy Q was pressed up against Avery's back trying to get a better peek inside, but Avery didn't budge. He told himself that it was only to give the Doctor a bit of privacy, but he didn't quite believe it; his feet just didn't want to go any further. He wasn't certain what he would face upon returning home, and it was odd for him to think this way because home had always been a relatively safe place. . .. till now. Suzy Q, however, had no patience for major life ponderings and couldn't control his curiosity a moment longer. In his exuberance, he pushed Avery inside the rest of the way. Avery nearly dropped the Doctor's devices in the process of trying to keep his balance.

"OI! Be careful with those! You'll be turning those into duff going on like that! I need those to dismantle all that funny business in poor Mr. Hopper's bookshop! Set them by the coat rack."

Avery thought to set them down gently, but instead it was with a weighty _'thud'_. They sounded quite heavy; he stared at his new arm with new curiosity and more than a little admiration.

"Yeah, it's stronger than your old one. You might want to watch that. Could come in handy, that."

Suzy Q wandered around like a child circling 'round a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. He was visibly curious about every single button, pedal, lever and switch. Avery thought Suzy Q might burst with excitement and wondered if robot people could overheat.

"You two are not allowed to touch a single button in this room." said the Doctor just as Suzy Q was about to reach for one of the forward thruster levers. "Can't have you sending us off to the Pludoon region or something. That would just be _bad_. There's no time to give you a proper lesson, so keep off." she muttered as she began to fidget with various levers and buttons in some kind of order that seemed to make perfect sense to her. "You might want to hang on, this is going to be a bit rough! She won't like going back." she said with a glint of excitement in her eyes.

"Yeah, I kind of know how she feels." said Avery as he looked around the room half expecting some angry TARDIS entity to come bursting out in protest. He grabbed an edge of the center control panel just as the Doctor yanked a large lever and pulled a black knob. Suzy Q latched firmly onto a support column and grinned. A large glass tube pumped and bubbled with amber light in the very center of the control room. The Doctor smiled as she grabbed hard onto the control panel and braced herself_. _A familiar 'whoosh-whoosh' noise echoed around in the roomy chamber. The TARDIS rolled and pitched just a little and then came to a sudden halt that had them all flung onto their bottoms.

"Bugger all, I was sure it would be a little worse that that!" The Doctor stood up and switched on three monitors giving her a view of the bookshop from above. Avery and Suzy Q came around to have a look over her shoulders. He was surprised they hadn't landed at all, but hovered silently above the rooftops. Despite everything that had happened, it was in that one tiny moment of glimpsing home that Avery finally understood he was in an actual space ship on a real adventure. It had been rather dreamlike till now. He'd wrap his head around the time machine part later.

"Hmmn, whatever the Collector's got, it's keeping the field quite active." said the Doctor as she thought aloud. "I've never heard of a Collector getting caught in his own trap like that."

Avery stared at the monitors. Down below, it was pitch black where Mr. Hopper's bookshop was supposed to be. The temporal displacement field seemed to eat light for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and three snacks along with tea. He shivered because all the memories of being _in_ it came flooding back. It didn't look at all different from when they'd first fled away in the TARDIS.

Suzy Q had his nose nearly pressed up against the first monitor as if it somehow had telescopic abilities. This was his first time away from Avalon-Smith and he wanted to sear every image into his memory. He would tuck them all in with the thousand images he had stored away of Avery. He found he had no problem with adventuring, curiosity would always win out.

"Don't worry Avery, you won't be going back into that mess if I can help it." said the Doctor when she saw the anxiety on his face. "That's what these are for! I call them my 'TDF Decay Element Busters'! Who're you gonna call?!" she said with a grin as she unwrapped her silver prototypes. "Yeah, I won't be saying that again. I've been working on these beauties for days now with Gideon. I've modified them from the medical units we use to destroy Decay Element in the hospital. We'll be lowering them into the field from here, but they're heavy so your super arm might come in handy. Let's hope that back door is still open. Hmmn, CAT-bot might be useful here too."

"Cat who?" asked Avery and Suzy Q in unison.

"CAT-bot series 4000, model 87f." The Doctor bounced up and ran off into a wide doorway at the back of the console room. She returned just moments later with a small robot following behind her. It rode on a single track hung from the TARDIS ceiling. It was little more than a large round silver ball with a single arm protruding from its center front topped with a white-gloved hand straight out of a cartoon. Fuzzy black and white fabric 'ears' were sloppily taped to the top of its head with a matching tail dangling in the back. The Doctor pressed three buttons in succession on its side and a single eye opened up from behind a metal iris. It beeped and whirred momentarily before 'meowing' twice. "Ah, there you are my friend!"

"Master Doctor. S-s-s-s-o h-h-h-ha-ppy to see." it stuttered in a robotic voice.

"We'll have to fix that, won't we?" said the Doctor with great concern in her voice.

Suzy Q stared in amazement at the little robot and patted the bot's round head. It purred in response. "What a cutie!" he exclaimed. "_I want one!"_

"None of that nonsense now! He's got some serious work to do." said the Doctor. She unhooked the robot from its track. "We have to hurry, dawn will be coming up. We can't have all the humans discovering something's amiss in Potters Bar before breakfast, but _after_ breakfast is another story." she said with a wink.

Moments later, with a large remote in her hands, they lowered CATbot down about a hundred feet on a thin cable with the two Decay Busters dangling precariously from his robotic arm.

"What happens now? Is Mr. Hopper's bookshop going to blow up?" asked Avery.

"No. Well, it shouldn't anyway. These devices only dismantle temporal displacement fields, but I suppose anything could happen. I've mixed a destabilizing agent in with a bit of Element 53 against the Decay Element. It should be a rather quiet affair, let's just hope I got the ratio right."

"Shouldn't we raise him up again?" asked an anxious Suzy Q after several moments had passed.

"He's the canary in the mine, Suzy Q." said the Doctor. "We wait."

"What does that mean?" demanded Suzy Q. "What does she mean, Avery?"

"Uh. . . it means he might not make it," said Avery.

"Oh." Suzy Q grew quiet. "Oh, but that's just so . . . sad! You woke him up to kill him? That's just awful!' he cried. He plunked himself down on the red bench.

"I'm sure he'll be fine!" said Avery. "Won't he, Doctor?" as he turned to the Doctor. She said nothing as she continued to work the remote in her hands before returning to the monitors.

"It's done. Time to park the TARDIS and go investigate. CATbot is perfectly fine, Suzy Q."

"That's it? Just like that?" asked Avery.

"Well, I did tell you it should be a quiet affair. At least this part anyway. I don't make a habit out of blowing up bookshops."

"Wha-, wait, what do you mean by _'this part'_?" asked Avery.

"I've taken us back as close as I could to the first moment we left without creating a paradox, however; dawn is approaching. All the things inside that bubble will be quite visible to the general public for a few hours. They're all still in their various realms of course; and they'll fade out of yours in a bit, but I should think a few people will be quite. . . startled till they disappear altogether. I should like to get in there and poke around before the chaos starts."

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Avery. "You might have mentioned that."

"I just did. It makes no sense to say anything until one is reasonably certain, Avery, and then it's best not to mince things." said the Doctor pointedly. She yanked another lever, turned a wheel, and pulled down on a red knob. Avery felt the TARDIS sort of drift this time and settle somewhere softly. "Now, I'd like to change into something other than these robes. Do _not _touch anything or I'll dump the both of you on Trelenia!"

The Doctor stood in her wardrobe room and stared at all the clothes hanging neatly around the room, and she found she didn't know where to start. It didn't help that the reflection in the mirror staring back at her just didn't fit her sense of who she was yet. She could have been staring at some random stranger for all it mattered. She tried on one thing after another, but everything either bunched up in all the wrong places, or hung loose in others. She'd much rather stand on the volcanic plains of Ielinos than deal with this business, so she gave up and stalked out wearing a brown three-piece suit from her more dapper days, but it now dug into places she'd rather it didn't and the bowler hat kept bouncing off her head.

"Uh. . . What are you wearing?" asked Avery and Suzy Q together as their mouths hung open.

"They're called clothes, I'm wearing clothes. What's wrong with these then?" she said as she pulled on the hat yet again with such force that it was in danger of becoming a fedora instead.

"You can't go outside like that." said Suzy Q.

"You look like Charlie Chaplin," said Avery, "which is fine . .. if you're Charlie Chaplin and like to swim around a bit inside your clothes."

"Who's Charlie Chaplin?" asked Suzy Q.

The Doctor couldn't find anything amusing about this particular situation at hand. She squirmed like a little boy stuffed into his starched Sunday best going off to see an old auntie.

"We can help." they both said in unison. "We can really help!"

"Fine," snapped the Doctor. "but you've got fifteen minutes -and no frocks of any kind! I won't do frocks. _And I like Charlie Chaplin!_" she shouted as she tossed the bowler hat across the room. "What's wrong with Charlie Chaplin? He's funny." she muttered to herself.

After giving the persistent duo directions to the wardrobe room which only Suzy Q could remember, they soon returned with armloads of clothes. The Doctor had no qualms about ripping off uncomfortable clothes in front of others, but Avery and Suzy Q turned away out of politeness anyway. They handed various garments to her with one hand while using the other to cover their eyes. On the fifth attempt and much grumpiness, the Doctor was reasonably satisfied with what she was wearing: A creamy white blouse with soft ruffles around the neckline tucked neatly into soft brown pants, and small sturdy black lace-up boots as close to the masculine side as she could get.

Suzy Q had to help with the confusing undergarments, but they made all the difference between comfort and sheer torture. The ruffles were a bit of a sore point for the Doctor until she remembered whole eras of stiff lace ruffles at the neck or on the sleeves under velvet jackets, these silky things were nothing compared to that frilly business! She reluctantly had to agree they did soften her appearance in a pleasant fashion; and did so in such a manner that she might not be quite so adverse to soft ruffles in the future. Suzy Q stood back and beamed as if he'd created his first masterpiece. Avery simply sighed in relief for the sake of fashionistas everywhere.

At that precise moment, something popped up from the main console like Sunday toast. The Doctor caught it with one hand, "Oi, won't be able to do that again!" She jostled the object from hand to hand as if it were a hot potato. "It's my sonic!" she said with delight. She tapped it a few times against her left hand, it lit up with an amber light, then buzzed and beeped like a tiny computer. "Oh my, you're a beaut! Am I ever glad to see you!" she exclaimed as she held the purple and brass colored instrument up for a closer inspection. She planted a small kiss on the TARDIS console.

"You're an alien, aren't you?" blurted Avery.

"Took you long enough! I need a jacket. I need pockets!" exclaimed the Doctor when she realized her new clothes had no pockets. "After all you've seen, Avery, would it bother you if I were?" she said as she rifled through the various jackets and cardigans on the coat rack.

"She's got two hearts." whispered Suzy Q. The Doctor gave Suzy Q a stern look and he shrank back behind the dubious safety of Avery.

"No, no I suppose not. I just wanted to be certain I guess. I never thought to ask really. I-I don't know why."

"Perhaps it's because you're now in a time machine hovering over what's left of a temporal displacement field standing next to a sentient robot after spending a fortnight on an entire planet dedicated to healing with dozens of alien beings waltzing all around you." she said as she continued her search. "Of course, one might consider _you_ an alien now with that new arm. You should know there's a bit of Suzy Q in that; and we haven't even begun to discuss the galaxy you're wearing around your neck which is nothing but alien and is wanted by a really cranky Collector. Nosh on that for a bit."

She finally chose a brown leather jumper after some hesitation. It wasn't one of her old things, it belonged to Jamie. Jamie had always known a thing or two about practical fashion. She slipped it on and pocketed her new sonic screwdriver into a pocket just inside the jacket seemingly made for sonic screwdrivers. As she adjusted the collar and pulled her hair from underneath just as she had seen Jamie do a thousand times; a new wallet slipped out of a pocket in the console. It was her psychic paper. She stuffed it into one of her new handy pockets and grinned. "Yes Avery, I am an alien. Now if that's alright with you; shall we go and collect up a Collector now?"


	9. Chapter 9 Pirates!

Note to the reader: I enjoy writing and this has been great fun so far. I've endeavored to capture the essence of the Doctor while creating a whole new one at the same time. Do you like her? _Many heartfelt_ _thanks to those of you who have stopped by to read The Peruclian Key. _I had to take a bit of a break, but I'm back, so here we go!

The Peruclian Key

Chapter 9/Pirates

By Johanna J.

Avery, Suzy Q, and the Doctor made their way to just inside the back of the bookshop just before the sun rose. The Doctor had yet another gizmo slung over her shoulder. It reminded Avery of something out of a Ghostbuster film, and he had no idea what she would use it for. Its bronze lid had red, yellow, and green buttons; plus one large purple button. Under the lid, there was also a black hose attached to what looked like a large jar sized for mutant pickles.

Avery glanced over at Suzy Q who had finally managed to get a reasonable skin tone right as opposed to the gold. He now sported a pale Caucasian skin topped with a short crop of blonde hair, and he was nearly dancing with excitement. Avery however, hung back for a brief moment. He wasn't all that eager about returning to the shop. His feet weren't anxious about the whole affair either because they seemed intent on not moving.

"Wait you two!" said the Doctor as she put up a warning hand, "I've got to make sure the displacement field is completely down and there's no Decay Element left. We don't need any of that funny business again!" she said as she happily whipped out her sonic and waved it all around. The instrument sounded almost musical to Avery and he found that he wished he had a sonic screwdriver of his own, not that he knew what a sonic screwdriver actually did. "Well, we're all good for the moment, but just in case, _don't touch _anything." Suzy Q raced off to find CATbot just as the Doctor reasserted her warning not to touch anything.

Soon, the pink caterpillars made their appearance by crawling over every surface in the shop, to include one up on Avery's arm. He sort of did a little jig in an effort to shake the thing off; he was still under the impression that the cute fuzzy things could kill him. The Doctor looked at him as if he'd lost his mind while Suzy Q giggled. Some of creatures had begun to fade a little already. There were three large blue whales swimming off toward the park up above the treetops after slowly and thoroughly regarding the odd trio. There was a slow fourth one trailing silently after. The brick and mortar boundaries of the bookshop meant nothing to those in other realms it seemed.

Dark shadowy figures milled about and lingered by the front windows and the main door. Out of all the strange things breaking free of what was left of the temporal displacement field, it was those shadows that gave Avery the most pause with their gnarled hands and red eyes. The unnatural heavy silence still lingered in the air around them and Avery shivered.

"What are those things really?" asked Avery with another shiver.

"Time Eaters." the Doctor said matter-of-factly. "They show up whenever anything time-wise goes amiss; but usually only in certain places where time is strictly ordered like here. Time is still a bit wonky here and they're hoping for a snack, don't go near them." she said with a warning look as she fidgeted with her specimen jar. When she saw Avery's confused expression, she paused and amended, "It's like a whole page has been added to the wrong book. They're here to eat that page basically and us along with it. They'll fade soon with the rest once the displacement field diminishes completely, no worries."

"I found him! He's alright!" said Suzy Q as he came bounding down the stairs. "Oh, what a good little bot he is! Just look at him!" he gushed. Indeed, CATbot seemed none the worse for wear. "Shame on you for sending him down here like that!"

"Would you prefer I send us instead?" admonished the Doctor. Suzy Q clamped his mouth shut, but not for long. "Well why doesn't he speak now?"

"I put him on silent mode to conserve his batteries. I might do the same with you if you don't hush." said the Doctor with just enough irritation in her voice to convince Suzy Q that she meant it.

"So, he's dead then." said Avery as he stared down at a puddle of what seemed to be left of the Collector. The Collector's clothing and large boots lay around the puddle as if he'd just shrunk down from inside his clothes. The clothes alone looked intimidating enough to Avery, but it was hard to reconcile the glistening goop with what had once been a very large and scary figure. The blood-red button that had once been in his chest now rested lightly on the glistening goopy surface.

"No, no he's not. Look at the eyes; they're still glowing." said the Doctor as she stood up and brushed off her pants. She held the glowing balls up and gazed at them. "What have you got to tell the Doctor, hmmn? She mused as she gazed into the globes and turned them about.

"How can he still be alive?" asked Avery incredulously.

"Oh, it's easy enough. There's not much to them really. His clothing held him together much like your body holds you together. The stuff inside that drives us never dies easily." she said as she poked at the goo with a rod attached to her device. "It's a good thing too; I can keep him locked up in this where he can't ever hunt anybody again. How would you like that, I wonder?" She plunked the slime-coated eyes inside her specimen jar first before scooping up the rest.

"He uh, he did save us you know."

"He cost you an arm, Avery. Almost cost me the TARDIS. I should think you'd want him locked up in a glass prison for awhile. I think I might prefer that. However; I am going to make him talk first!"

"How are you going to do that? I mean; he's got no mouth now!"

"It's a simple process really. I'll just hook this probe into the TARDIS console and he will be able to tell his story. The TARDIS will be a conduit of sorts. Nothing to it! I need to poke around a bit first." said the Doctor as she set off toward the stairs. "Oi! What a mess!"

Avery wandered around the confines of the shop. Pink caterpillars and blue whales aside, it was indeed 'a mess'. Every single book in the shop lay in a heap on top of another. Some of the wood on the bookcases was damaged and crumbled into dust when he walked by the empty shelves. He wondered if Mr. Hopper had kept up on his insurance premiums. He sauntered over to the front window to watch the sunrise through the shadowy figures still milling about, but he kept a good few meters away from the glass. Poor Mr. Hopper's ficus tree was dead. It must have lived ten thousand lifetimes in the displacement field. It's leaves crunched to dust along with the rest of it as Avery idly pulled a few of them off the tree.

"Oi! I said not to touch anything!" shouted the Doctor from upstairs. Avery stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Blimey, she's got good hearing!" sighed Avery.

The morning sun was just beginning to break through the treetops. There were a few early morning souls coming out, delivery men and such. Avery wondered what the reaction might be to blue whales swimming in the trees, or pink caterpillars on the sidewalk, but every single one of them had their attention on their cell phones or music players and their business at hand. Nobody looked up. It occurred to Avery that he might have done just the same only days ago. Suzy Q came to stand next to Avery with CATbot floating quietly at his side.

"How come they don't see anything?" asked a curious Suzy Q.

"Because humans have short attention spans and small minds on occasion. Especially before breakfast! We need to go." announced the Doctor. "I do believe pirates have been here and one think you can be sure about pirates, they'll be back." She held up an innocuous-looking little pyramid shaped vessel. "It's a small-scale temporal displacement field generator laced with enough Decay Element to take out all of Potter's Bar and then some. I call them 'dirty pyramids'-I just made that up you know, I found it up on the roof."

"Pirates?! Like space pirates? Wait, how did yo-?"

"Never mind that, we've got to get Mr. Collector there back to the TARDIS. I think he might be on our side after all. Come along Averys and Suzy Qs!" she said as she hoisted up the specimen jar containing a now jellied Collector. "Let's see what he's got to say, shall we?"

Just then, they heard a man scream like a girl, which was followed by various shouts, squeals, and more screaming. The melee in Potter's Bar was on. Old Mr. Griswald and his pudgy old dog merely sat on a park bench across the street taking everything in as if he were at a picture show. Nobody else thought to do the same. The Time Eaters seemed to give everybody else a great deal of pause too. Those things especially elicited a loud response from those early-morning souls. Some dropped their music players and ran away, while some stood rooted to the sidewalk crushing their coffees in sheer terror.

Avery thought of his mother and sister. _They_ certainly weren't used to whales swimming in treetops and pink caterpillars in the garden. Of course, now there were plenty of other things; from overly large insects flying overhead, to orange elephant-like creatures lumbering by. None of them seemed concerned in the least with frightened humans running about, but Avery was certain his mother would think otherwise.

"Uh, I need to stop off to check on my mum and sis, just to make sure they're alright."

"Of course, although I don't know why they wouldn't be. It's all perfectly harmless now. Just don't be long, Avery. With pirates in the mix now, you're even less safe. Take Suzy Q with you." said the Doctor. "Keep that galaxy safe, Avery." she warned as she pointed to the pendant.

As Avery and Suzy Q approached his mother's house, he could hear screams from the back garden. His mother's best friend, Evie, came tearing out through the garden gate waving a broom wildly around, and was soon followed by his mother and sister-each similarly armed.

"Get it out of the house! Bloody hell, _what_ is that?!" shouted his mother, who was rarely given to expletives of any kind. She couldn't help turning part of her attention toward her only son in between various hops, squeals, and skips of escape. "Why haven't you been answering your cell? Where have you been, Alvinash? You look tired." She set about kissing his entire face.

"I'm fine, mum." he said as he squirmed away from her kisses. "I was uh, I- I worked late."

Then she looked shrewdly at Suzy Q who had the grace to blush and squirm a little under her matronly scrutiny. "Who is this then?"

"Oh, this is, uh, this is . .. David. Yeah, David Q."

"No I'm not! I'm not a 'David'!" whispered a somewhat confused Suzy Q.

"Uh-huh, more like out on a bender." muttered his sister, Amala, as she eyed 'David' up and down. "Oh!" she squealed as she jumped away from something resembling a green shrew on the garden path. Somehow, she managed to jump like a ballerina right into Suzy Q's arms. "Oh, well. .. _Hello_ Mr. David! Look how strong you are! Sorry." she said with a flirtatious smile as she nimbly hopped out of Suzy Q's arms. Avery rolled his eyes along with his mother and put a hand to his forehead in a classic face palm. "What are all these things?!" Amala demanded.

Soon the three women were all in a huddle behind Avery and Suzy Q. The women were hopping, jumping, and twitching in an effort to avoid the new creepy-crawly flora and fauna now seeming to roam freely around Potter's bar. Suzy Q had a difficult time trying not to laugh and Avery was just plain flummoxed. He'd always had a hard time with a simple thing like a spider in the house, his mother was usually the one to tackle those with a shoe, yet here they were looking to him to save the day.

"Why don't you go back in the house for now?"

"_BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE HOUSE TOO!" _shouted the three women in unison.

"Look, I'll go and see what I can find out. It's, uh, it's probably just something in the water. Yeah, it's something in the water. Try not to worry, they're actin' like they don't see us anyway."

After breaking away from the anxious women, Avery and Suzy Q jogged easily back to the TARDIS despite everybody else running in the opposite direction. The various creatures were beginning to fade away from human sight as the veils that separated the various realms settled back in place, however; the humans running wildly around gave no indication they had noticed any such thing. They stood there for a little while just watching. Mr. Griswald was still comfortably perched on the park bench nearby taking everything in with a big smile on his face, but then; his eyesight had been going for a long while now. His hearing wasn't what it used to be either, and judging from the contented look on his face with his headphones firmly fixed to his head, Avery figured nothing of the chaos was really registering with either man or dog.

Just then, the TARDIS door opened and two small hands grabbed handfuls of each man's collar and unceremoniously dragged the two inside. They turned around only to see the Collector in full form staring down at them. Avery nearly jumped back thirty paces out the door, but Suzy Q planted himself firmly in front of Avery as if to protect him. Just then the Doctor stepped through the Collector. Avery blinked several times, it was only an image!

"Oi, still freakishly strong! Hope that lasts! Get up with you then!" she stated as she pulled Avery up with one hand. "I'll be needing that galaxy now, Avery." Avery mutely took it off quickly. He was unnerved to see the Collector in any capacity and inched away. He started to rub the back of his neck as he did so.

"How did . .. how did you do that?" asked Avery as he stared at the intimidating image of the Collector.

"It's a simple pro-" began the Doctor as she messed about with various buttons and levers.

"I know, I know, 'it's a simple process really'," interrupted Avery. "What's it for though?"

"You know, it's not nice to interrupt!" she said with a little irritation in her voice. "I told you, I need to know what he knows. It's no fun talking to a specimen jar!" she said as she fitted the pendant into a slot in the console for analysis. "I want to know why he saved us, Collectors aren't in the business of saving anybody, but. .. _this _one did and I'm going to find out why." She stopped her fidgeting and faced the image of the Collector with crossed arms. "Now, what have you got to tell the Doctor? Why did you save us then, hmmn?" she asked pointedly as she strolled around the image.

"Th-the g-ga-galaxy m-m-must. .. " The image of the Collector sputtered when it tried to speak, and then flashed in and out briefly. The Doctor quickly moved to the other side of the console and hit the unit with a well-placed elbow, and then a fist just mere centimeters away. The image cleared and picked up cryptically where it left off in mid-stutter.

". .. galaxy must be protected at all costs. It is one of the original three. Two parts of the key have since been destroyed. I was hired to protect all the rest. The galaxy must be protected. It is one of the original three. The Doctor is dead."

"Nonsense, as you can see I'm quite alive and well. I've just changed a bit is all. Have a look around, how else could you be in the TARDIS?" said the Doctor loudly as she gracefully twirled around in an invitation to have a look at her glorious TARDIS. At that moment, she looked like a queen at home in her palace to Avery. Then she stopped in mid-twirl and snapped her fingers. "Oh! Oi, what better way to protect a galaxy around someone's neck than to send a big, scary Collector after them? Really, that's just epically BRILLIANT!" she said excitedly. "That's something _I _would do. .. "


	10. Chapter 10 Calico Jack

Note to the Reader: Come away with us on a grand adventure as the Doctor tries to get to the bottom of the mysterious Peruclian Key. You might really like it. It's a whole new version of the Doctor, but you will still find many of the things you love about Doctor Who here in this alternate universe.

The Peruclian Key

Chapter 10/'Calico Jack'

By Johanna J. with MARVELOUS inspiration from Matt J. ~my son!

The TARDIS computers beeped and hummed as it ran an analysis of the pendant Avery wore containing a mysterious, swirling galaxy. If he didn't know better, Avery would have thought the TARDIS was making happy noises. Soon, a stream of paper came sputtering out of a slot apparently made just for long streams of paper; but it was spat out with much fanfare accompanied by a lot of hissing, sparking, and smoking. He was apparently mistaken about the 'happy noises'. With all of that, the paper caught fire on it's way into the Doctor's impatient hands.

"Bloody hell! I've got to fix that!" said the Doctor distractedly as she snatched it up before a single line could completely burn up. After a tiny moment of dithering, she simply put the flames out by clapping the report between her bare hands. She gave no indication that she'd been scorched. She paced as she read the results. Avery could see more of the same strange symbols printed on the paper that he'd seen earlier in the TARDIS console, it was completely alien to him. The Doctor had no trouble reading it whatsoever, however; what she read seemed to intrigue her even more-if the speed at which she was now pacing was any indication.

"What does it say?" asked Suzy Q and Avery at the same time.

"Not enough." she muttered. The Doctor seemed momentarily nonplussed as she realized she was not alone in her TARDIS. She paused in her pacing long enough to stuff the report in her jacket pocket before pacing some more around the centre console. She came to stand in front of the frozen image of the Collector; she stared up at him as if she could divine answers to questions she hadn't thought to ask just yet, simply with the power of her gaze. Avery and Suzy Q could only watch her and wonder just where her head was at. Given all that he'd learned about the Doctor-which was precious little really, Avery would bet her head was in a thousand places all at once.

Out popped the pendant from the analyzing slot with such force that it sailed clear across the room. Even though her back was turned, the Doctor caught it firmly with one hand; her left arm snapped up for the catch almost as if it had a mind of its own. She tore her gaze away from the image of the Collector and held the pendant up to the light. It swirled and glittered within the confines of its diamond casing. Of course, being a galaxy, it was oblivious to the keen scrutiny it was now under. She took out her spectacles from her jacket pocket and slipped them on for a better look yet again. She stared at it for several minutes before handing it back to Avery without a word.

He slipped it back on his neck and Suzy Q helped to fasten the clasp. Avery was quite relieved to have it around his neck again, but he couldn't quite say why. He remembered the Doctor telling him that "it needs to be near a beating heart." Looking at it swirl about, he had no trouble believing it. He couldn't help wondering though, if his days of carrying it were numbered somehow as he gazed past it to see the Collector's image still frozen in place; a shiver crawled up his spine.

The Doctor had been watching Avery out of the corner of her eye during all her musings and ponderings and she caught the shiver. He was learning the value of what he was carrying, and this was a good thing in her opinion. Despite all the frightening things that had happened to him, he never once asked someone else to take the responsibility from him. She had learned a few curious things about the piece as well; but they were things she would keep to herself for the moment. She always preferred to know all the facts of a thing before she discussed the whole of it.

"Right, time to play dress-up!" announced the Doctor.

"Um, why?"" asked a dumbfounded Avery. It was the last thing he expected her to say.

"Dress-up? Ooooh! I love to play dress-up!" squealed Suzy Q. "What are we going to dress up as?"

"I've got to go see a pirate about pirates!" said the Doctor with a slight frown. "We need to go back to the wardrobe room if I want to be taken seriously. They have quite the fashion sense." she stated. "But you wouldn't know it to look at them!" she muttered under her breath.

The Doctor and two new friends went into the wardrobe room, but three _pirates_ came out of it. The Doctor simply slipped on a black brocade pirate coat with brass buttons and then donned a pair of kid-leather gloves. She then chose a brown pirate hat that actually stayed on her head as opposed to bouncing off her curly head into some odd dimension of space. It had one ostrich feather and two peacock feathers jutting elegantly upright. Somehow it all went perfectly with her modern-day outfit. She stalked out as soon as she had assembled her outfit.

Meanwhile, Avery chose a whole new outfit with pale creamy white breeches, black boots, a tan lace-up shirt and a black scarf for his head. He slipped an eye patch on to be thorough on the matter, but he couldn't find any gloves to fit. He looked around for spare swords, but none were to be had in the Doctor's wardrobe it seemed.

Suzy Q was somewhat unclear on the whole notion of pirates and came out looking more like a tourist until he saw Avery. Then he promptly grew out his hair into a lovely golden mane along with a proper-but delicate beard. He turned one of his hands into a hook and chose a very debonair kind of outfit of green breeches, tall black boots with silver buckles, and a white lace-up linen shirt with a gold sash at the waist. He chose a wide-brimmed hat with long white and brown feathers, but then tossed it aside once he realized it covered up his 'lovely locks'.

"Yeah, you'll have to do." she said after conducting a light inspection of the two young men's choice of pirate wear. She yanked on a large lever and said loudly, "Hang on tight!"

The TARDIS engines roared to life. Avery clung to the railing while Suzy Q latched on to a support column again. The Doctor continued to operate various levers and switches, all the while hanging on to the console. This time, the TARDIS pitched and rolled mildly for several seconds before coming to a halt. However; whatever was going on outside the TARDIS door sounded anything but mild. Shouts, smacks, and thumps could be heard outside the doors along with the distinct clanging of swords.

"Let me do all the talking and _don't_ wander off!" warned the Doctor. "These are PIRATES; can't have you going off the plank right after you get here." she said as she swung the door wide open and marched out into darkness. "Especially _you_, Avery. Calico Jack is not the kind of man you want to tick off."

The newly attired trio walked out from behind a set of deck quarters right into chaos. Men of all shapes and sizes-to include a few aliens, were heavily engaged in a brawl that seemed to encompass the entire deck of the ship. Fists and swords were flying wildly about. Avery could hear the sound of bones crunching under the impact of fists and he swore he saw teeth flying. Indeed, he accidentally stepped on one man's hand as he was trying to pick up his wayward tooth. The Doctor strode deliberately right through them all as if she were simply marching through her TARDIS corridors. Avery thought it best to stick as close as possible to her. Suzy Q followed suit. She was making her way toward a large, dark-skinned giant of a man who was in the midst of knocking another man's lights out, then the Doctor simply stood there with her arms crossed and waited.

One pudgy man caught sight of her and dropped his sword, the other man took the opportunity to punch him squarely in the jaw. However; the pudgy man had set a precedent: one by one, they dropped their various weapons, stopped their brawling and stared at the woman who dared to walk into their midst. Silence spread across the deck like a virus. Various jaws hung open as they gawked at the intrepid trio. Finally, the large dark-skinned man slowly stood up from the man he was endeavoring to pummel into the ship's deck and turned around. When he saw her, he sauntered over without a word. He towered above her, but she didn't budge. The others began to close in on them out of a sense of morbid curiosity and Avery bumped up clumsily against her back as did Suzy Q. Still, she didn't move. Avery, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off the menacing men encroaching on their little circle. Some had patches, many had missing teeth, several had over-exuberant hair in places hair shouldn't have been, a few of them had scars that left one wondering how the heck they'd gotten them, but they all looked big and strong. Not a single one of them looked as if they'd missed a meal either. The large man held up a hand and the entire crowd froze in place to include Avery's heart. The man circled around the Doctor and her partners in crime much like a shark deciding which toe to start in on first. He never took his eyes off the Doctor as she stood there undaunted. She never took her eyes off of him either.

Avery saw that he had a bionic eye of sorts, it made a whirring sound as it inspected the Doctor. The other eye was a brilliant gold and seemed to see straight through a brick. He also had a metallic hand that whirred and clicked every few seconds. His clothing was torn from fighting, but they retained a sort of regal splendor. The buckles and chains on his boots jangled ominously with each step. Avery held his breath and backed up even closer to the Doctor and Suzy Q. He then came back to stand in front of the Doctor.

"You have changed. .. considerably." he said with a deep, sonorous voice.

"YOU certainly have not! You're just as smelly as ever!" she said as she stood up on her tippy toes, but it didn't have quite the impact the old version of her would have. The Doctor vowed that she'd have to find a much better way to look intimidating. Then she had the audacity to jab him in the chest with her finger. Suzy Q nearly fainted dead away from the equivalent of holding his mechanical breath.

"You old dog! I recognize those tired old eyes of yours anywhere!" he nearly shouted. Then the man burst out laughing, it sounded like thunder. He bent down to scoop her up in an embrace that took her completely off her feet. "Everybody thinks you're dead."

"Oh bother! Avery, Suzy Q, meet Calico Jack." she muttered from her mid-air perch. "Put me down already, you old scallywag! You would never have been able to do that with the old me, so don't start now!"

With a toothy grin, Calico Jack set the irritated Doctor down. To Avery, it seemed that the crowd of pirates around them let out a collective sigh of relief, or had that been just him loudly letting out his own sigh of relief? His relief was rather short-lived though, because Calico Jack then asked, "Gor Blimey! Did you bring this pair of dandies for me? Where are the Jaimies?"

"Long story. These two are with me for now-you know I only take the best." she jabbed him again.

"Hmph, bloody hell! Look at 'em though. Their mothers must have smacked all the ugly out of them! These pretty boys wouldn't do for pirates at all." he said as he clapped Avery and Suzy Q on their backs. Avery had the breath knocked clean out of him and Suzy Q was sent careening into a pair of particularly hairy, burly men who then eagerly swung him back at Calico Jack. There came a raucous chorus of laughter all around them.

"Stupid question for you: is he human or giant?!" he hissed to Avery who was still trying to catch his breath.

"Neither." said the Doctor pointedly. Avery took the opportunity of catching his breath to lean over and peer over the railing only to see they weren't on any ordinary pirate ship, this one was sailing through space. He didn't care about the how of it, because it was just plain cool. Another ship that looked an awful lot like another pirate ship was off to the side and it was listing heavily on its port side.

"Carry on, lads. I want that ship!" said Calico Jack with a wave of his hand as he escorted the Doctor, Avery, and Suzy Q to his quarters. The melee resumed with fists flying high and with many of the 'lads' being tossed overboard.

Calico Jack's quarters were quite refined for a pirate. There were two large lead-paned windows that opposed one another; each with a view of space and the surrounding deck. Two energetic brawlers rolled and tumbled by with shouts and curses as they yanked one another's beards. Avery supposed every pirate captain had maps stuffed into every corner and plenty of quality whisky; but Calico Jack liked books and had a large library with more books than maps. Avery wandered around and perused the many titles. Most were in languages he didn't understand; but to his surprise were a few Earth classics such as War and Peace, A Tale of Two Cities, and Romeo and Juliet. Suzy Q quietly sat in a chair near a window taking in every sight and sound; albeit a safe distance away from Calico Jack's clapping hands. Avery saw the android's fingers twitching though, and figured Suzy Q was dying to get at Calico Jack's telescope.

"Did you bring me anything?" asked Calico Jack with a wink. Avery was surprised thunder hadn't attached itself to each and every word in his query. The Doctor sighed and brought out a book-sized parcel from inside her pirate coat and slapped it down on his desk.

"The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien, _first_ edition. Now your collection is complete. You owe me though-for that whole 'first edition' bit!"

Calico laughed heartily as he clutched the book to his massive chest before setting it carefully down on his mahogany desk. The desk was as solid and large as the man. "I am a happy man now. So then, what brings you across the universe to my humble abode, Doctor?"

"Have you seen anything like this?" She brought out the 'dirty pyramid'. Avery was beginning to wonder if she packed a spare TARDIS in her coat as well. "I don't recognize these symbols-and that's saying a lot. You know how I like to have the gen. Careful, this is a nasty little bugger-spent of course."

Calico Jack held it up to the light of a chandelier and inspected it with his one natural eye. It didn't look nearly as intimidating in his massive hands. He took a gold-rimmed monocle from his desk and studied it. He turned it all about before he shook his head in puzzlement.

"Calico, you've always had your finger on the pirate pulse of the universe, have you heard or seen anything remotely untoward?"

He laughed softly, "We're pirates Doctor; there is always something _untoward_ going on! Fine, but only because it's you doing the asking." he said with a slight smile. He sighed, "There have been rumors of black ships with red banners sailing way over near the Widdian quadrant. Now, I've not seen them, but folks are sayin' wherever they go, entire planets go dark somehow. No one ever hears anything from them afterwards."

"Are they pirates then?"

"Not like any I've seen. Our goings on are mostly with each other. I've no need to take a planet." Calico Jack replied. "I did come across a couple of strange fellows though, they were making some odd inquires too. Come to think of it, they were dressed all in black robes with blood-red hoods and sashes, they kept their faces hidden. I didn't trust them and told 'em so. I don't do business with dodgy folks who don't show their faces." He scratched his head and set the tiny pyramid down. "I didn't really put that all together till just now! They were askin' about something else too. Blimey! What the devil was it? Oi, it was something called . .. hang on, let me think. .. "

"The Peruclian Key?" queried the Doctor,


	11. Chapter 11Evie and the Dastardly Prince

The Peruclian Key

Chapter Eleven/"Evie and the Dastardly Prince"

By Johanna J. with MARVELOUS inspiration by Matt J. ~my son.

Note to the Reader: This is at the farther end of fan fiction. Come away anyway and discover a whole new universe with a different Doctor. She's off to face new adversaries and solve awesome mysteries on fantastic adventures with new companions. This little story has been slowly heating up. I hope I've captured a good portion of the Doctor's essence in this particular incarnation. I am always open to constructive suggestions and the occasional "huzzah". Enjoy. (So hard to wait till November 23rd, no?)

All in attendance of the impromptu meeting in Calico Jack's elegant quarters grew silent with the Doctor's impatient query, which finally gave a name for the mysterious pendant Avery wore. The only noise to be heard in the room was the whirring and odd clicking in Calico Jack's mechanical hand as he used it to scratch his head again. For a moment, it seemed as if he thought he could scratch his memory into fruition. Outside, the fighting and shouting continued on, but the silence in the room hung just heavy enough to dull the sounds of the pirate free-for-all for a short while.

"Well gor blimey! You know, I do believe that was it, 'the Peruclian Key'. Only they were all hush and mum about it. I never trust folks that can talk and dance circles around a thing without seeming to even ask about the very thing they're asking about, but they were most certainly asking about it nonetheless." He stood up and sauntered around his literary haven with his hands behind his back, then he stopped and knelt down in front of the fireplace and stirred up the smoldering ashes. He paused in his efforts to bank up the fire. "They smelled funny too." he said as he wrinkled his big nose at the memory.

Avery wondered who or what could possibly offend the man's nostrils after living in such tight quarters with those who seemed to bathe only on rare occasion. He found his own nose wrinkling at the thought. Suzy Q glanced up at him with newfound curiosity and briefly mimicked Avery's face with his own version of wrinkling his delicate nose, then his gaze drifted back to the enchanting telescope. The concept of smell was lost on him, he could sense odor and cite it's source, but the actual smelling part was something else. Avery smiled sympathetically at the bored android.

"Well, what is it then? How do you know anyway?" Calico Jack said. Then he waved his hand in mock defeat. "Nevermind. I should know better than to ask." he said with a broad smile as he settled into a comfortable chair by the fire. It creaked under his weight. He snapped his fingers and a small door in the back of the room opened. A Telnaxian trundled in bearing a silver tray laden with porcelain tea pot, five cups and five saucers, and an assortment of biscuits. "Thinking business is tea business, I always say!"

The Telnaxian poured hot tea for each of them at a snail's pace. He was slow and methodical as he went about the business of setting up a proper tea. He reminded Avery of the first Telnaxian he'd ever seen during his stay on Avalon-Smith. They did indeed all seem to look old and that boggled his mind.

"Come, come, don't be shy lads! You look like you could use a good cup of tea, and I only have the best. Hmmn, you two dandies could use a few hearty meals too." Avery and Suzy Q quickly took a seat on a wooden bench near the fire before Calico could clap them on the back again. The Doctor remained standing lost in thought for a moment before she sat in the chair opposite Calico Jack and began to absentmindedly leaf through a book on the round table nearby.

As Avery moved to take the fancy cup handed to him by the Telnaxian, the pendant he was wearing slipped from under his shirt. It glistened in the light of the fire. The Telnaxian stopped, set the hot pot down, bowed to Avery and went back to his tea-pouring ministrations.

"Why, uh, why did he do that?" whispered Suzy Q to Avery, who was just as puzzled. He recalled the other Telnaxian who had inquired about the pendant and bowed. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, he'd dismissed it as some alien cultural thing at the time.

"Because his home is in that galaxy, that's why." said the Doctor. "He is honoring you as its caretaker of the key just as the other one did." She took another sip of her tea as she watched the Telnaxian return to the pouring of the tea. He shuffled over to Calico Jack and set the largest cup in his hands, he smiled affectionately at the burly pirate captain who returned it with a toothy smile.

"He can't speak you know, had his tongue cut out by some thieving and murderous malcontents-and that's being too kind for that lot. I found him after we raided one of old Jericho's ships. Poor fellow, I couldn't leave him down there all bloody like that, he's been with me and Evie ever since. I call him Jasper. He doesn't seem to mind, he's one of the truest mates I've ever had."

"Who's 'Evie'?" asked Suzy Q.

"Why she's my ship of course!" boomed Calico Jack. "A man can't go sailing off to the stars without having a good ship under his toes! It's bad luck to not have a name for her! Can't have that, now can we? She's my Evie! A man needs all the luck he can get." said Calico Jack as he patted one of the wooden support beams, then he planted a light kiss on it. Suzy Q gazed all around the room as if he expected a woman to morph out of the walls.

Avery's attention, however; was on the Telnaxian named 'Jasper', somehow the name seemed to fit. He saw there were unshed tears shimmering in the alien's cloudy brown eyes. He surreptitiously studied the green alien a bit closer and realized poor Jasper bore many scars. Avery shivered, "Bloody hell, he's been through something and a half!" he thought to himself. Then he turned his attention to the Doctor. He was surprised she knew about the other Telnaxian in Avalon, he was sure he didn't mention it to her. She did indeed always seem to be a step-or a twenty, ahead of everyone else. She must have six sets of eyes in the back of her head hidden under all that hair!

"How do you know all that?" Avery and Suzy Q asked at the same time. They glanced at one another and smiled as if their constant thinking alike never ceased to amuse them. They knew it never would.

The Doctor didn't answer, but only sipped her tea. She closed her eyes as she savored the flavor. Truth be told, she needed a moment to gather her boundless thoughts and rein them in. She loved a good mystery and once again, she was more than happy to tumble into it and get lost sorting out all the tidbits. For whatever reason though, humans especially seemed to get rather grumpy when she did that. She'd often been accused of leaving them miles behind in more ways than one. She smiled at that thought, sometimes it was funny to make them grumpy.

"Gor blimey, but she's got a story to tell, I just know it. Oi, look at her, it's just like a storm brewing." said Calico with a hearty laugh. Yet he leaned in just like a child eagerly waiting for a bedtime story nonetheless. "What I really want to know it what it's like being a girl now." he said with a wink.

"Well, it's not rocket science Avery," she said deliberately ignoring Calico Jack's last remark. "The Collector did say it was one of the 'original three', the TARDIS analysis seems to agree, you have these mysterious pirates coming after it, the whole universe seems to be looking for it, and now you have a Telnaxian named Jasper bowing to you. You add all that up, and what do you get? It _is_ the Peruclian Key, I am certain of it; well part of it anyway. He may not be able to speak, but he just answered my question with a simple bow. Plus, that's what it says on your pendant, it just took me a bit to decipher all the symbols. I spent a fair time in my library, I can tell you that!"

"Uh, well yeah. Yeah, I still don't get it though." said Avery as he scratched his head, although three-quarters of his confusion was due to Calico Jack's remark about the Doctor 'being a girl now', the other part was really about a whole library in the TARDIS. Given the look of irritation on the Doctor's face, he wasn't inclined to ask about either one. Still, it kind of startled him once again a little to think where he was at the moment and how little he knew about the Doctor still. His tea cup clattered lightly in his hands, but all he said was, "I never had a name for it like that, my father and grandfather didn't know either, and we looked."

"Well me neither." said Suzy Q not wanting to be left out of any conversation. He fidgeted a little as he stirred heaps of sugar into his tea and took another hefty dollop of cream. Calico Jack cringed to see him slowly sip the syrupy mix. "Oh, I do like tea! Oooh! Jammie Dodgers!"

"You would not have been given a name for it, most likely to protect you. You are wearing the _actual_ galaxy Avery, there are a lot of quantum physics involved here; but if that ties your funny little human brain all up in a knot; consider it kind of like a real-time image for the moment and is itself part of the key to unlock . .. well, itself. It's a long story. I believe this one has twelve parts. Most people think it's all just legend, but in all legends, there is always a spark of absolute truth-_always_ go for the truth, Avery. It will take to you to amazing places that will pop your mind wide open!

Now, galaxies are usually locked away for only two reasons really, one is to protect the precious inhabitants inside, and the other one is to protect _us_ from something lurking inside-we can't ever risk the thing inside ever getting out. You know, 'destroyers of the universe' and all that dodgy business. I won't go into millions of years of history with you, but there are things out there bent only on total and utter destruction of every living thing; things you just can't imagine. The entire Izzicearin race for one, the Dollumides, Ulgens, and the Maeloks; and even the Daleks at one time. Personally, I like living. Living is good.

Of course, there are more. There are also the Pallagues, and to them, you are nothing but a cosmic crumb on a universe-size dinner plate really. If you think black holes are frightening-and I know a thing or two about those; try to imagine a massive, _colossal_ creature who dines on the stars with whole planets for dessert. There is no reasoning with them; their only thought is to consume. They are poised in the space between universes. The only saving grace for you and me against that lot is that it's surprisingly difficult to get inside a universe when you're outside of one."

"Aye, that is the truth, laddies." said Calico Jack as he popped four biscuits in his mouth. "Nasty things out there."

"There's also the Nightmare too-the name alone should tell you something. It sought to devour _every living and nonliving thing _in sight to feed its utter and terrifying darkness-which was quite sentient by the way." she paused and sighed. "It did terrible things to people I cared about and I couldn't stop it in time." She sighed again. "Anyway, I believe this is why a galaxy might have been hidden-as well as a few others, to protect them from the clutches of the Nightmare. This is never done lightly mind you, and all the councils must be in absolute agreement."

The Doctor finished her tea and bounced up, she began to pace again. Avery caught the strange look that had come over the Doctor's face as she mentioned the thing called the Nightmare, but the troubled and almost sad expression moved over her features so quickly, he wondered if he'd imagined it. He had a little trouble envisioning what a 'sentient darkness' might be like, but didn't doubt there was anything wonderful about it. His mind was reeling of course, he had never considered what kinds of demons and monsters might be out running about in the universe. He had enough trouble just in dangling his foot over the edge of a bed lest the old specters of childhood days munched it wholly away.

"Of course, the galaxy inside isn't called the 'Peruclian Key', that would just be silly to name the thing you're trying to protect. I do believe it's actually name- -."

Suddenly the Doctor was interrupted rather rudely; for just then, there came a bright flash of light followed by an enormous blast. Calico Jack's ship shuddered and rocked back and forth. To Avery, it felt like the ship was actually in the water for once rather than sailing through space, and his stomach did a funny nauseating little flip inside his gut. He gripped the edges of the bench while Suzy Q slid clean off. Tea sloshed in cups and clattered in saucers as biscuits fell from shaken hands to the floor. Calico Jack jumped up sending his cup crashing to the floor, but the Doctor beat him to the door and bolted out first. Avery and Suzy Q ran after them not wanting to be left behind. Jasper merely sighed quietly and bent down to clean up the mess.

The other ship now listed heavily on its starboard side; a plume of thick black smoke poured out from a gaping hole there. Avery could see pirates scramble to and fro on the injured ship's decks and they looked like spiders crawling around. Several men started to clamber up the two rope ladders connecting the two ships purely for looting purposes in a desperate effort to get aboard the unscathed Evie.

"Sir, the Dastardly Prince has been hit; but we don't know who's doin' the hitting! It ain't us!" said a tall blue alien pirate standing in the doorway to the bridge. "Sensors ain't sensing nothing either! Why ain't they hitting us?"

Just then, another blast came roaring out. It violently rocked the Dastardly Prince so hard that the ship nearly went completely sideways, but it quickly righted itself up. More smoke poured out, only this time, the mainmast went down.

"There goes his warp drive! She's got pulse cannons like I ain't never seen before!" someone shouted as he ran by oblivious to the shock wave now roving through Evie.

"Think your mysterious pirates found _us_." said Calico Jack.

"Well, it's perfectly brilliant that way, don't you think? My sensors can find them. Avery and Suzy Q, back to the TARDIS, be quick about it!" the Doctor quipped. Calico Jack followed with big long strides. Once inside the safety of the TARDIS, she quickly started to push buttons, smack the screen once or twice, pulled various levers, and flip three different switches.

"I've extended her shields. It's coming from underneath you closer to the aft. Please tell me you finally fixed your gravity tether." said the Doctor.

"Drop the anchors laddies!" shouted Calico Jack as jogged back to Evie's wheelhouse. He grabbed hold of the ship's wheel and started to turn it hard to port. "Why yes, yes I did!" he said with a grin. A loud crashing noise came from below Evie with much splintering and mechanical groaning. Calico Jack beamed. "Found 'em. That should put a knot in their panties for a spell or two. Amateurs-or cheap labor." he muttered.

Avery and Suzy Q couldn't help but lean over the railing on the starboard side gangway for a look at the thing doing the blasting, but they didn't see anything save for a plume of yellowish smoke and with an eerie red flashing cast. Everything else beyond that was pitch black with the occasional red light. Before they leaned over any further. they were bodily yanked back once again by two small hands.

"What the devil are you doing? Get back inside. They're probably looking for _you_!" snapped the Doctor. "In the TARDIS now! I'm going to see what I can do to assist, but _do not leave the TARDIS!_" With that, she waltzed out of the door into the ruckus.

A single blast later and Avery and Suzy Q bolted out of the TARDIS. It hadn't occurred to them to be scared until they were told to stay put in a quiet place with the image of the Collector still standing there; their thoughts ran like wild rabbits darting to the darkest holes. They raced toward the Doctor who was up on the quarter deck standing there like a beacon of hope; at least to Avery anyway with her coat and hair waving in the breeze like that. Calico Jack was nearby shouting various orders as his crew worked together like well-oiled machine. However, Avery could see the Doctor was quite irritated when she whirled around to face him.

"Tell me, was there _any_ part of what I said that indicated you should just go and do the polar opposite? Was I suddenly speaking Gork to you? Is there something about my face that beckons humans-_and_ nosy androids, to ignore dire warnings?" she demanded as she stalked towards them with anger plastered all over her face. Avery and Suzy Q stumbled backwards thinking perhaps it would have been wiser to stay put, because he swore he saw a few sparks shoot out of her eyes.

"Sirs, you're uh, you're going to want to see this." Amid the smoke and chaos, a pair of half-scorched pirates came dragging a prisoner still bound in rope and rusty chains with a filthy burlap bag over his head. "We found him in the Dastardly Prince's hold all tied up. They shore wasn't letting this bloke wander off anywhere."

Calico Jack slowly pulled the bag off the unfortunate man's head and let out a gasp. With wide eyes, he glanced quickly at the Doctor, who showed very little emotion other than her passing anger, then he turned back to the man. The Doctor hesitated a moment before taking out her sonic screwdriver; without a word, she waved it all around the scruffy man and frowned at the apparent readings.

Through blackened eyes, the prisoner blinked several times as if he'd not seen the light of any kind for months. His skin was pale, he was bruised, battered, and obviously malnourished. The poor fellow was quite unsteady on his bare feet too, but his newly appointed pirate assistants hoisted him back up.

Once his eyes adjusted to his new surroundings, he smiled through broken teeth and said. .. .

"Hello, I'm the Doctor."


	12. Chapter 12What! The Peruclian Key

Note: I truly am _grateful_ to those of you who have made it this far with my version of a female Doctor. Please give me some constructive feedback as I am endeavoring to grow as a writer, feedback _does_ help. If you've made it through to this chapter, tell me what you like about it; if I've lost you along the way, please let me know that too. While this story is completely at the nether region of fan fiction and is full of characters you're not familiar with in Doctor Who, you might like it for simply for that reason. It is such a long wait till November 23rd, is it not? So try a new story. . .

The Peruclian Key

Chapter Twelve/

By Johanna Jimenez with BRILLIANT inspiration by Matt J.

"_WHAT?! Doctor? Doctor WHO?_" demanded four very surprised people all at once as they stood on the deck of a ship called 'Evie'; but they would get no immediate answer because the prisoner dragged over from the battered Dastardly Prince fell unconscious as soon as he'd made his shocking announcement. He'd simply smiled after his three little words and went out like a light. It was obvious that uttering those three words had been too much for him. Given his poor physical condition, no one doubted it. While Avery and Suzy Q didn't fully understand why the man's words were so shocking; the harsher realities of pirate life got very real very quickly.

"Why, gor blimey! He's the spittin' image of the old you!" said an astonished Calico Jack. "How the devil can there be _two _of you then?" he asked as he scratched his head yet again. "Never mind. Trouble follows you almost like you was carryin' it in your pocket." he said with a smile that didn't quite reach up into his eyes this time.

"What uh, what does he mean when he says _'the old you'_?" queried Avery and Suzy Q together as they stared at the man now slumped over, despite the best efforts of two pirates a shade or three stragglier, to keep him upright. "Who is he then?"

"Ulgh, you have so many questions! You _do_ pick the oddest times for explanations! Long story, Avery." said the Doctor distractedly as she studied the man. She'd not taken her eyes off this new 'Doctor' once, Avery felt rather like a fly buzzing around her head that was in danger of being thwacked away.

Yet another blast directed at the Dastardly Prince came from the mysterious crippled ship lurking in the depths under Evie, but it was as if the blast was half-hearted at best. Nonetheless, they each grabbed whatever part of the ship seemed handiest until the inevitable rocking ceased. Now temporary captives, the pirates of the Dastardly Prince were in various stages of being tied up, many had no recourse other than to simply topple over on their faces and wild laughter ensued. It was a bad day to be a pirate on the Dastardly Prince for those few who chose to remain loyal to their broken ship.

While the blast did little damage thanks to Evie's extended shields, it was just enough to jar the Doctor back out of her head. "We need to get him out of sight. I can help him best away from all this, this incessant blasting! My TARDIS is the safest bet and I need to think." stated the Doctor with a small measure of irritation. Avery noticed she didn't answer a single question.

"Now how did I know you were going to say that?" asked Calico Jack with a broad smile. "They sure are a persistent bunch, aren't they though? Good thing I've got my anchor through 'em, they ain't goin' nowhere anytime soon. I swear they've got all the bells and whistles on that ship, but they don't know how to use them. The Dastardly Prince should be scattered across the Siccaaren Nebula by now." said Calico Jack, slightly bemused. "They're looking for something-or someone. I'll warrant they're after _him _rather than him." as he gazed shrewdly at the unconscious man and then up to Avery. "Maybe they're thinkin' they've caught _you_! Not everybody thinks you're dead."

"I'll warrant you're right." stated the Doctor. She just didn't say which part she agreed with. She stepped back and made a sweeping gesture bidding him to pick up the other Doctor. "Do you mind old friend? I'm not quite the man I used to be at the moment." she said with a wink.

Without a word, Calico Jack bent down and easily scooped the man up and threw him over his massively broad shoulders, thus relieving his ruffian crew members to head back into the smoky fray. "Jealous, aren't you?" he said with his signature grin.

"I don't think so. I got you to carry him now, didn't I?" she said over her shoulder as she stalked away toward her TARDIS with Avery and Suzy Q at her heels.

The big man was flummoxed for once and clearly had no words to fire back with; he stood there like a stunned goat for a moment before turning to his portly crew members. "You two know what needs doing, get off with you and do it. Bring me Candy Joe Hawkin's head before they blow his ship apart! Drag the bastard out by his hairy ears if you have to!" he barked as he whirled around briefly to address the two before setting off to follow the Doctor back to her TARDIS. "I know he's in it up to his neck this time, the thieving rat!" he muttered under his breath. The man slung over his shoulders groaned as if to protest being flung madly around, or to have his ears assaulted by Calico's booming voice.

Once inside the quiet confines of the TARDIS, Calico Jack carefully laid the other Doctor out in the infirmary. It was a small room with a view of space above the bed. "Looks like the fellow ain't too far from dying to me. Why doesn't he do that 'regeneration' business your lot likes to do? He best get on with it!"

"Because I don't believe he knows how." was all the Doctor said as she tossed her pirate hat off into a corner chair, unbuttoned her jacket, and rolled up her sleeves. "You go off and tend to your business, and leave me to tend to mine."

Truth be told, old Calico didn't need a reason to beat a hasty retreat out of the TARDIS. As far as alien ships went, he figured one couldn't get anymore alien than the TARDIS. It made him feel uneasy somehow, like it could see right through him whenever he'd had the rare occasion to be in the thing. Seeing a Collector up close on the way in made it worse, on the way out however, his thinking changed slightly: what an awesome addition to his crew a thing like that would be! Calico Jack always had instant respect for things just as big as him, whether they were on his side or not.

Still, he backed out of the TARDIS as quickly as possible, wanting nothing more than to feel the decks of his own ship under his big feet. He never felt like Evie could see through him like that and it was a good thing too; old Calico had a few black spots in his past that even _he _didn't like to look at. At the present moment though, he was itching to put his fists into another man's jaw; preferably the jaw of whoever dared to call himself 'captain' of the sneaky vessel below; wringing the neck of a certain Dastardly Prince's captain named Candy Joe Hawkin's might be the thing to start with. With that pleasant thought in mind, he set off toward the quarterdeck for a better look and whistled as he went. His ship shuddered again, only this time it was the ship below was trying to break free of his anchor.

The Doctor busied herself by tending to the other man calling himself 'Doctor'. His eyes would open and stare at her intermittently and she would smile tenderly to reassure him. She pointed her sonic at various points on the assortment of rusty chains and shackles on his ankles and wrists. She stood back in mute satisfaction as they melted open one by one.

"Come and help me get all these ropes off him. Bloody hell, they're tight!" They each quietly worked to remove the crude bindings. Avery fumbled at first, but after briefly watching Suzy Q, he tempered his clumsiness and mastered the fine art of gently removing harsh bindings off a body. "You learn quick, Avery." said the Doctor. Once the thick ropes were removed from his left hand, it fell open and something metallic fell out and hit the floor. The Doctor plucked it up. It was a key, he'd managed to somehow keep it hidden under his wraps all that time-however long that may have been.

With all the movement around him, the man's hazel eyes fluttered open again and he mumbled, but no one could make out the words right away. "I can help." said Suzy Q as he moved to stand next to his head. Suzy Q then plucked his left ear off and held it directly over the man's mouth. "He's saying, 'S-sa-save, safe my T-Tar-Tardis. Pl-pleasse'." Then his eyes closed again.

"Right, he's got a Tardis, I should have known. Bloody hell and _PIFFLE_! Of course he would! Oh, that's so _BRILLIANT_!" she said as she smacked her forehead. "I've got to get to it!" She gathered up her pirate hat and coat, and gave the other Doctor another quick examination. "Suzy Q, I'd like you to stay here and tend to him. Clean and dress his wounds, let him rest and keep him warm. If ever there was a time where I tell you to stay put, it's this! _Do not wander off!_"

"Ahay Sir, matey sir!" said Suzy Q with a lopsided salute.

"No, no. .. . oh, God no! Just no! Please don't ever do that again!" said Avery and the Doctor together. Suzy Q's face fell just a little. "No? Is it 'a hiy' maybe?"

"Don't worry about being a pirate just now, hmmmn? Just be a nurse, yes? Doctor's orders!" muttered the Doctor. "The TARDIS will do intermittent scans, just let her do her thing or she'll turn you into a toad." stated the Doctor as she yanked on her coat while Suzy Q absorbed the bit about being turned into a toad, not that he was a hundred percent sure what one was exactly. "Just to be safe, I am setting the Collector free to act as another pair of eyes. He's been reanimated for quite some time, but I'm only just now letting him move. Well, really, the TARDIS is in charge of that part. I've already charged him with protecting the TARDIS-he owes me that much."

"Ohhhh no, b-but wait! I saw you talking to just an image! That was just an image of him, right? _Right? _Oi, how can he be 'reanimated'? When the heck did you do that?" demanded Avery. "You mean you're just gonna let him roam around now? Just, just like that?! The TARDIS wouldn't really turn Suzy Q into a toad, right?"

"So many questions again! Well he's not free to throttle you around the neck again, Avery. I won't allow it and he knows it now, we've come to an agreement he and I. Anybody will think twice before tangling with a Collector at the door. He's nice and big."

"You're telling me!" muttered Avery as he rubbed his neck. This time it was Suzy Q who noticed the Doctor didn't answer all the questions, especially the one about being turned into a toad by a grumpy TARDIS. He suddenly felt slightly uneasy.

"Can I come with you?" asked Avery rather quietly. "I'm not so good at the doctoring thing."

"You are looking a little green there, Avery; I suppose, as long as you do what I say without question! I need to steal Calico's skipper-hop and I could use a counterweight, you'll do nicely I think. I'm sure he won't mind-much." said the Doctor as she dragged Avery along by his eye patch. "Long as I give it back. Handy little thing it is though. I'll wager he'd like it back in one piece too. We go way back, but not so far back that he'd quite forgive me if I ruin it." she rambled on as she walked.

"You do know that ship out there is still being fired on, right?" asked Avery once he loosened her grip on his eye patch. "Ow." He skirted around the Collector as far as possible on the way out.

"Yes. So you should hope Calico can wrap all that up for us."

She pulled open the doors to a small cabin just under Calico's quarters, the Doctor dragged off the black cover to something that looked like a gold jet ski in a bubble to Avery. It had a large ring underneath rather than skis. She hopped on and started to push a few buttons and rev up the handlebars. Avery would have expected the thing to roar to life much like Calico Jack himself seemed to do every minute of his existence, but instead, it only put-put-putted like his little blue scooter back home. Of course, his little blue scooter didn't float like that. He was slightly disappointed, but he took the seat behind her and waited as the bubble closed up around them with a hissing sound.

"You should probably hold on. Grab my waist-and no funny business." In the blink of an eye, they went up through the hatch and were off at an astounding speed. He didn't think to ask if she knew how to drive the thing until they had more than half-way zinged across the chasm of space toward the Dastardly Prince. The good Doctor had a thing for speed it seemed and Avery's knuckles went white.

"You can let go now, you're crushing my ribcage and I rather enjoy breathing." Avery opened his eyes to find they were already on the other ship's main deck. The entire trip took all of ten seconds. The Doctor hopped off and Avery followed suit while mumbling an apology. She put her finger to her lips and beckoned Avery to keep quiet. He could hear shouting in the distance, but he couldn't tell where it was from. His eyes darted furtively around, but he saw no unruly pirates roaming the dark decks; he sincerely hoped they had all fled to Evie where the Jolly Roger flag almost always flew high. Anybody cruel enough to treat a man that way wasn't someone he wanted to run into. Judging by how many bruises the poor bloke had, it seemed they all must have had a go at him.

"There are others looking for his Tardis, I just don't know who or why yet. Best keep quiet lest we run into our mysterious pirates. A sonic doesn't do much against this lot." She grabbed a tattered piece of sail and hastily covered up the skipper-hop now floating in its tethers, then she pushed it into an alcove with a single finger. The Doctor quickly set off down narrow steps in a dark hatch in the deck. Avery followed her down into the dark abyss and for the briefest of moments, wondered just why he was bouncing down skinny stairs into the unknown after her; but then he realized just how late in the game that kind of thinking was, he simply liked the adventure. Once down in the hold, the Doctor stood there trying to decide where to go next.

"Now if I were to hide a Tardis, where would I put it?" whispered the Doctor as she slowly twirled around. She took out her sonic screwdriver and turned the middle to a setting that would let a little more light briefly flood into the large space. "Would I go aft, or forward?"

Avery slowly wandered around the massive hold while she tried to pick one course out of an apparent hundreds; he knew it might take a little while. To all outward appearances, this was an actual pirate ship that happened to be sailing through space; but there was a constant electric hum and it was most especially evident here. As on Evie, there were many discreet buttons, levers, and switches everywhere with tiny indicator lights to match. However, he was now in the bowels of this ship, and it was an utterly dismal and dank place. "Oi you! Stay close! Can't have you getting lost."

"Yeah, but I think I found where they were keeping him." Avery idly toed a few bloody rags lying on the dirty wooden floor. "Do you know who he is really?"

"Like Jasper, his home is probably in that galaxy you're wearing." said the Doctor succinctly as she came to stand next to him. She sighed. "I think perhaps, he _is _and _isn't_ the Doctor, and his Tardis _is_ and _isn't _a Tardis." she said in a low voice and definitely not as succinctly. "But if I am right-and I usually am; what he truly is, is absolutely amazing! He _must_ be protected and I am half-inclined to lock him away myself until I find a way to get him home."

"You know, all that made no sense to me whatsoever." said a very puzzled Avery. "Sorry, but I have no idea what you just said. Is he another you then?"

"Of course he's not, despite all outward appearances." she said with a shake of her head. "I believe he is of the Mynthurian race-one of the original _children of the universe _as they were called." she said as she turned to face him. Yet confusion remained firmly etched in Avery's face; she cocked her head and sighed. She started to pace again before going on.

"I never held with that notion of the 'original children of the universe' thing really, because the truth of what they are is phenomenal enough. Just imagine an entire race of _pure energy_; what could you do with that if you got a hold of them? They're highly intelligent, but they have little power against the more imaginative minds. You could literally make them into _anything_ you wanted with a simple thought without even realizing you were doing so-and some of you did. They become what you've thought up through and through, but they usually get lost in the process; forgetting who and what they are for a time. Where do you think your dragons, vampires, Santa Claus, and the like came from? And _I _think someone thought up a Doctor and a Tardis.

"You can actually do that?" asked Avery, now slightly more confused, but something caught his eye. He kneeled down on one knee and brushed the soiled linens away. There were several symbols scratched into the floor. They looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place them. "What are all these?" he asked as he pointed to them.

"Directions!" said the Doctor. "His Tardis isn't down here. Oi me, but then why would it be? Candy Joe probably thought he had a real treasure on his hands: ME." She snapped her fingers, twirled around, and pocketed her sonic. "We go up. Let's hope they don't know what they've really got!"

That wild gleam was back in her eye.


End file.
